


Temporarily Changed

by MissNMikaelson



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-10-07 12:08:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNMikaelson/pseuds/MissNMikaelson
Summary: "Doppelgangers should really come with an instruction manual," Elena grumbled."Evidently they do, sweetheart," Klaus waved the leather grimoire."Well..." she crossed her arms over her stomach, "... it should be clearer, and in English."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the vampire diaries, or the originals or any of the characters or storylines therein. I just like playing around with them.

Low music filtered through the speakers high on the wall. Locals filled every booth and table for the typical dinner rush. Teenagers surrounded the pool table with cue sticks.

It was an average Saturday night in Mystic Falls with teens killing time until the usual bonfire out at the falls.

"Finish your dinner, Elena," Caroline popped a fry into her mouth. "I plan on getting you very drunk tonight."

"Just make sure I drink lots of water," Elena rolled her eyes and polished off her burger. Slapping Caroline's fingers she plucked up a fry and chewed. The last thing she wanted was a hangover, and knowing the way Caroline would undoubtedly be handing her drinks it was something she was destined to get.

"Why do I have to get drunk?" She finished the last of her water and proceeded to pick at the remainder of her fries.

"Because you won't let me get you a rebound," Caroline shrugged. She pouted when Elena slapped her fingers.

"If you wanted fries you should have ordered some," Elena smirked. She turned the plate around a second later though so Caroline could pick away at her food.

She was starting to think a rebound would be easier on her head, too much alcohol and she was liable to start dancing around the bonfire. Her best friend might be a vampire, but Elena was fairly certain she was going to take a tumble into the flames.

* * *

She had called it. The thought brought a brilliant smile to her lips. Her inhibitions had been flown to the wind with the first sip of her second cup of beer.

Elena paused in her twirling. She had set her red cup down somewhere and couldn't remember where. Her brow furrowed as she thought back on the events of the night; she'd been drinking somewhere near the bridge.

Had her tolerance been a little higher she might have thought twice about stumbling away from the warmth of the fire and Caroline who she thought might have gone to refresh her drink. She made it three steps into the dark when strong hands closed around her upper arms and pulled her behind a tree.

She blinked to focus her gaze and snorted.

"What are  _you_  doing here?" She crossed her arms and glared. "Did you run out of bourbon?"

"I heard you were planning on getting drunk," he smirked, "and let's face it you've got a ridiculously low tolerance."

"If I want to get drunk that's my business," she pushed away from the tree and moved around him. She gasped when the rough bark pressed into her back. "Let me go."

He placed his hands on either side of her head to box her in and heard her heart stutter.

"If I let you go you're just going to do something stupid."

Her blood boiled with indignation and she blamed the alcohol for her outraged outburst.

"If I want to do something stupid then I'm gonna do something stupid," she shoved at his chest. "That's my decision to make not yours."

"You make stupid decisions that almost always put your life in danger," he caught her wrists, "or are you forgetting when you decided to trust Elijah and take the elixir."

Elena struggled to break his grip on her arms and hissed.

"Are you forgetting how you took that choice away?"

The more time she spent in his presence the angrier she got and the clearer her head felt. Somewhere behind the music she thought she heard her name.

"Let go of me!"

She glared when he held firm and shook his head.

"I'm taking you home."

She fought against his grip and yelped when it tightened.

"I do I believe I heard her say 'let go'."

Elena winced as her wrists were held tight enough to form finger shaped bruises.

"What are you doing here?" Damon sneered.

"Out for a midnight stroll," he sauntered towards them. "I was passing by when I heard the snapping voice of a damsel in distress."

"I can handle this," Elena snapped.

"As you wish, darling." He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby tree. He smirked at her confused expression. "I'm not interfering; I'd just love to see you put him in his place."

Damon glared and looked ready to hoist Elena over his shoulder and carry her off kicking and screaming. He turned back to the struggling brunette and nearly shrunk away from the heat of her glare, but instead played off his unease and tightened his hold on her wrist.

"Although," Kol held up his finger and pointed to Damon, "I'll offer a bit of friendly advice: if you value your arms you'll unhand her."

"I thought you were staying out of this," Damon snapped.

"Oh I am," he chuckled darkly, "but this is hardly a fair fight."

"Shut up, Kol," Elena grumbled, "I don't need your help. And Damon let go of me. I'm not going anywhere with you ever."

"Don't be ridiculous," Damon stepped back and pulled her along.

"Sounds like she's being perfectly clear to me," Kol drawled.

Elena glared at the Original and tried again to tug her arms free. Her wrists were starting to ache from the effort, and she had a sinking suspicion she wouldn't be able to move them in the morning. She knew what she had to do when her heels started dragging through the mud, but she was reluctant.

With an exasperated sigh she turned her eyes to Kol. She pressed her lips together and tugged one more time in the hope that she could do it herself.

"Alright, alright," she stopped struggling, "I admit it: I need help."

"I've thought that for years," Damon rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't talking to you," Elena scoffed. "Are you going to make me beg?"

She saw his eyes sparkle in the dark and felt a rush of heat under her skin. Her breath caught as he looked her over slowly with a smirk.

"Not for this."

He pushed off from the tree and moved in a blur.

Elena startled when she heard a loud crack and Damon fell in a lump at her feet.

"Was that necessary?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"No," Kol shrugged, "but you've got to admit," he looked down, "it was satisfying."

Part of her, the part that cared about people and hurting them, didn't want to admit it. The other part, the part that was indignant over her stifled voice, enjoyed the sight of Damon unconscious at her feet. It wasn't like he was actually dead.

"What are you really doing out here?" She tipped her head back to meet his eyes. She hadn't realized how tall he was.

"Believe it or not darling," he searched her gaze, "I was just out for a stroll."

He stashed Damon behind a tree where he wouldn't be spotted and heard her disbelieving snort.

"It's true," he chuckled. "Sometimes I just need to get away from Nik."

"Now that I believe," Elena nodded.

"What are you doing out here?" He stepped up beside her and tilted his head.

"Just…" she shook her head and sighed, "… needed to get blow off some steam. Caroline was rather set on taking me out clubbing for a rebound, and when I said no she insisted on the bonfire."

A line appeared between Kol's brows.

"Forgive me darling, I've spent the last century in a box," he frowned, "what do you mean by rebound?" He tested the word on his tongue.

"Sex," Elena shrugged. "It's what you do after breakup."

"Am I to take it you've finally kicked the Salvatores to the curb?" He smirked.

"Yup," Elena clicked her tongue.

"And you said no to the rebound?" He cocked an eyebrow. "How come?"

"I don't trust my drunken judgement," she pursed her lips and looked up at him. "Why am I telling you this?"

"I think you might be a little drunk," he heard her heart skip when he leaned closer with a wink.

"Elena?" Caroline rounded the corner and froze. "What are you doing?"

"Getting some air," Elena giggled.

"With an Original?" Caroline's eyes flickered to Kol.

Elena shrugged one shoulder and slid her hands into her back pockets.

"I didn't feel like being around anybody I actually liked."

"Oi," he covered his heart and gasped. "I take great offence to that."

"Well…" Elena glanced up at him through her lashes, "… I don't know you well enough to like you, or dislike you."

"Maybe we should change that," Kol smirked and offered her his arm. "Join me for a drink, darling?"

Elena considered for a moment before taking his arm. Her skin tingled when he closed his hand over hers.

Kol paused when Caroline stepped in their path.

"How drunk are you?" She gave Kol a suspicious look.

"Just one glass," Elena shrugged.

"Do relax Miss Forbes," Kol met her stare, "I've already been warned to be on my best behaviour where Elena is concerned."

"Dagger threats?" Elena guessed.

Caroline saw the shadow pass behind Kol's eyes and knew her friend had hit a nerve. She didn't think she needed to add to whatever Klaus had presented him with but she did anyway.

"If you hurt her I'll kill you."

Kol was going to laugh at the empty threat when he saw the fire in Caroline's green eyes and an involuntary shudder raced down his spine. He had the strangest sense she'd find a way to do it; she might even enlist Klaus to help her.

"Understood."

* * *

Elena's brows furrowed when a bottle of clear liquid was placed in her hand. She squinted at the label and raised her eyes to Kol.

"This isn't how you get me drunk," she sang. Waving he bottle caused a splash of liquid to hit his jacket. "Sorry," she giggled.

"A little water won't kill me," Kol steadied her hand. "Drink up, love."

Elena sighed and downed the bottle of water. The more she drank the clearer her head felt. She lowered the empty bottle and ran her tongue along her teeth and gave him a sideways glance.

"I get the feeling there's a reason I feel stone cold sober."

Kol snagged the bottle from her hand and tossed it in the recycling bin with a chuckle.

"Nothing to worry about, darling. It's just a little instant sobriety."

Elena nibbled on her bottom lip. She braced her healed wrists on the top of the fence and jumped to sit on the rail. She glanced over her shoulder towards the rushing waterfall for which the town had gotten its name.

"If I were to fall headfirst off the top of the falls…"

"I'd catch you before you had a chance to get wet," Kol pressed his hand to the top of the fence. He slid between her parted thighs to make room for the crowd of football players rushing to the cooler full of drinks. "Nik would have me rotting in a box if I let you die."

"But would I die?" Elena's breath hitched.

"I just told you I'd catch you," Kol placed his left hand on the fence an inch from her thigh.

"Assuming you didn't," Elena shivered. Aside from Damon at the tree this was the first time in two months that someone had stood so close.

"You'd wake in transition," his eyes flickered to her parted lips, "and Nik would stick me in a box." He could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

"You say that like you expect me to care," Elena tilted her head. Her heart thumped as he took an impossible step closer and moved his right hand to her knee.

"Don't you?" He ran his knuckles up her outer thigh and back down while staring into her warm eyes; they darkened with each stroke of his fingers. "I was given to understand you care about everyone."

"I'm told that's what gets me into trouble," she licked her lips.

He tilted his head down so his lips hovered over the shell of her ear. He could practically hear the longing whispering down her spine.

"There's a very simple solution," his breath fanned over the column of her throat.

"Oh?" Elena shuddered as his nose grazed her ear. "What would that be?"

Kol's hand slid around her back and held her steady. The breathy tone of her voice did not go unnoticed.

"Stop caring."

"I've never done that before," Elena inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. His fingers dug into her hip in a delicious way. "I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to go about that."

'I might be able to help."

* * *

It was a little disorienting being moved at vampire speed. She wondered idly if vampires found it that way, but her tongue was too occupied to form words.

If his kissing was anything to go by then Elena knew she was in for an intense night. Her skin grew ridiculously warm beneath his wandering fingers.

His tongue was busy doing sinful things, each swipe along the roof of her mouth spread fire down her body. She gasped for breath when he finally broke away to tear her top over her head.

Never one to be outdone, Elena grasped the hem of his navy Henley and pulled up so it pooled on the floor. The impulse to run her fingers over his torso was too great to resist. She planted her hands on his chest and shoved him back onto a leather couch.

Kol blinked in surprise and caught her hips before she could straddle him.

Elena's breath caught in her throat when he sucked a love bite along her ribs. He pulled the skin taut with his teeth and soothed the area with his tongue. He squeezed her behind through her jeans and made his way down her torso.

Elena closed her eyes and moaned as his tongue dipped into her belly button. She hadn't realized her jeans were being unfastened until her back hit the smooth leather. Her eyes fluttered open in time to see the denim torn from her legs and her flats knocked from her feet.

She hadn't been sure what possessed her that morning to put on the midnight blue lace panties and matching bra, but she was glad she did when she saw the way his eyes darkened.

She propped herself up and let her eyes roam down his body. Turned on the cusp of twenty in a time when life was much harder meant he was physically fit. She pushed him and straddled him.

Her eyes flickered over his chest and abdomen in the dim light of the bedroom. His muscles clenched under her wandering fingers and she was treated to the sight of his well-defined abdominal muscles.

She smirked and glanced down at the hard ridge in his pants.

"A little eager?"

"I'm not the only one," he grasped the back of her neck. He nipped at her fluttering pulse and inhaled deeply. "I can smell you darling."

Elena had barely blinked when she felt a soft mattress under her back and large hands separating her thighs.

"Does that ever make you dizzy?" She moaned as his fingers grasped the sides of her panties.

"You get used to it," he bit her hip with blunt teeth. With a smirk he tore the scrap of lace into two pieces.

"Hey," she muttered, "I liked this set."

"I'll replace it," Kol swore.

Elena was about to protest when she felt his tongue. Her hands fisted the comforter as he began to lick long strips between her folds which he alternated with quick flicks against her clit. Her hips began to move of their own volition as her thighs started to tremble on either side of his head.

She could practically taste the bliss. She knew it was close, and that was why she groaned when he stopped suddenly.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her with the hungriest expression she had ever seen. She arched her back for his hand and watched as he tossed her bra into a far corner.

Elena shifted onto her knees and unfastened his belt.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" He caught her fingers when the buckle was undone.

"I'm not going to be the only naked person in this room," she blinked when she found herself on her back with her arms held over her head. She tugged experimentally and felt the leather belt shift on her wrists. "Really?"

"Don't blame me," he cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "you're the one who wanted the belt."

She had never thought long on the concept of being tied naked to a man's bed, but the reality of the situation had her stomach trembling in anticipation of what was to come; hopefully it would be her.

"I suppose I did," her eyes roamed down his body. He had moved to stand beside the bed. "Now take off the rest of your clothes and get over here."

"You're rather demanding for a woman in your position," he smirked.

Elena just rolled her eyes and drew in a ragged breath causing her breasts to bounce slightly. She swallowed her squeal when he was suddenly on top of her and his cock was brushing her folds.

"Have you ever considered slowing down?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"I can do that."

Elena moaned and tossed her head back as he slid into her at an agonizingly slow pace.

"That's not what I meant," she arched her back and moaned.

"No?" He smirked and started moving slowly.

"You're infuriating," she gritted her teeth. Tightening her muscles she smirked when he groaned. "Come on, Kol. Please?"

"Please what, love?" He trailed his lips down her neck and teased her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Are you really going to make me say it?" She whined. Her skin felt like it was on fire under his light touch.

"No, darling," he nibbled on her throat, "I'm going to make you beg for it. Tell me what you want."

He increased the pace of his hips just enough to hold her on the edge he knew she had already been near.

"I…" Elena bit her lip and tried to shimmy her hips in the search for more friction.

"None of that now," he growled. Sitting back on his knees he held her hips still and pushed forward. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold back; his control was starting to slip. The longer he was inside of her the more he wanted to drill into her at a relentless pace until she came apart at the seams and all she knew was the pleasure he gave her.

He pretended not to hear her whispered plea and leaned forwards with a wicked smirk.

"I didn't quite catch that."

Elena wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his back.

"I said 'fuck me harder'," she stared into his sparkling eyes, "and you heard me perfectly. Just like I'm certain everyone else in this house can now hear me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," he chuckled, "Nik had a witch spell the rooms so you can't hear as long as the doors are closed."

"I really don't want to talk about Klaus right now," Elena groaned. "Are you going to fuck me harder or not?"

"I didn't hear the magic word," he teased.

Elena rolled her eyes and put on the most serious expression she could muster while the urgent need to move battled in her body.

"Kol," she lifted her head as much as she could, "will you please fuck me? Fuck me until I forget my own name… please?"

"As you wish, darling."

* * *

His fingers were digging deliciously into her hips as the sun crested the horizon and made her skin glow. He set a steady pace and guided her when she began to stutter.

Elena's mouth popped open as a ripple of pleasure rolled down her spine. She could do nothing but moan when he flipped her over and hooked her leg over his shoulder.

Her vision faded to white as his teeth found their home in the puncture marks already on her neck.

When his arm was nestled around her waist and her ear was pressed to his thumping heart she finally heard the question.

"I'm assuming based on the number of times I've asked that the answer it phenomenal, but," he tipped her chin up and met her eyes, "how did I do?"

Elena tilted her head and frowned. Her body was blissfully numb after their long night and her mind was a little fuzzy. He had allowed her a few brief hours of sleep before rousing her again for another round; she thought it might have been their sixth, but she couldn't be sure.

He read the confusion in her gaze and smirked.

"With your name," he traced runes on her back, "you asked me to fuck you until you forgot your own name."

"Oh," Elena blinked. She tilted her head and squinted. "It starts with an… 'E'…"

"Clearly I haven't done my job," he rolled her onto her back; "you still remember that first initial." He hooked her thigh over his hip. "I'm very dedicated, you know, and I don't leave any task unfinished."

* * *

Elena slipped out of bed around noon and dressed quietly so she wouldn't wake the sleeping Original. Part of the arrangement that had landed her in his bed had been that the moment her feet hit the floor the entire, admittedly glorious, ordeal never happened.

It would have been a lot harder to walk out the door if his eyes were open.

With her shoes in hand she carefully opened the door and bit her lip in concentration as she pulled it shut. She breathed a sigh of relief when there was no click and turned towards the stairs.

She bent over at the bottom and slipped the flats onto her feet. The sound of a clearing throat made her jump; pressing the heel of her palm over her pounding heart she met his surprised eyes.

"Isn't it a little early for scotch?" Her eyes dropped to his hand.

"Isn't it a little late for the walk of shame?" He countered.

A hot flush stained her cheeks. She wiped her hands on her jeans and bit her lip.

"Niklaus," a smooth voice echoed around the corner, "who are you talking to… Elena?"

"Elijah," she cleared her throat. She pointed to the left and a large door. "That the way out?"

"It's that one actually," he pointed to the double doors behind her.

"Thanks."

Elijah blinked as she made a hasty exit, and heard the unmistakable sound of a human heart beating on the front steps.

"You know," Klaus sipped his drink, "I always figured if she was going to be sneaking out of the mansion she would be coming from your bed."

Elijah rolled his eyes and flashed outside.

"Would I be correct in assuming you did not drive here?"

Elena jumped. She laughed nervously and nodded.

"Guess I forgot that fact."

"Right," he extracted a set of keys and waved her towards his BMW. "I'll drive you home."

* * *

Steam coated the bathroom mirror so all she could see was the vaguest outline of her body. She wrapped her hair in a towel and wiped down the mirror so she could inspect the dark circles under her eyes.

Turning this way and that she examined her reflection. She had been absurdly tired for the last few days and it didn't matter how much sleep she tried to get. The fatigue was starting to show.

The combination of her headache, pale skin, and fatigue put her in a foul mood.

She finished drying off and moved into her room to get dressed, but before she could even reach into her dresser there was a knock on the door.

"What is it, Jer?" She made sure her robe was firmly closed and opened the door.

"Klaus is here," Jeremy leaned in the door; "also," he pulled a small box from behind his back, "this was in the mail for you."

She sighed and took the package. Telling her brother to inform Klaus she would be down in a minute she closed the door and flipped open the lid of the box.

Inside was an envelope with silver decorations around the edge. She pulled out the card and blinked in surprise.

_You left before I could find out the correct size, so I was forced to guess. ~ K._

She shook with a silent laugh when she removed the tissue paper and found a set of lingerie in midnight blue. It was quite similar to the set Kol had torn three weeks before. She was mildly impressed to find they were the correct size.

She set the box aside and pulled on her comfiest sports bra and yoga pants. Completing the cozy look with an oversized sweater she pulled on her sneakers and left the room.

She was pulling her hair into a high ponytail when she stepped out onto the porch where Klaus was waiting for her.

"Let's get this over with," she headed down the steps and approached his car.

"You could be a little more enthusiastic love," he started up the Jeep.

"You're taking me to the clinic to get your monthly blood donation," she deadpanned, "why would I be happy about that."

He backed out of the driveway with a low growl.

"You didn't seem to have an issue giving your blood to Kol," he watched her from the corner of his eye, "or Elijah for that matter."

If she'd been taking a drink of water it would have sprayed from her mouth and coated his dash. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know about that?"

Elijah had shown up on her doorstep a few days after her rather eventful night with the bracelet she had somehow dropped in his car. Being polite, she had invited him inside for a cup of coffee; one thing led to another and he wound up spending the night… in her bed.

"You mean aside from the fact that you've pointedly ignored both of my brothers for the last three weeks?" He cocked an eyebrow and turned towards the hospital. "Elijah came home a few days after your little walk of shame smelling just like you; the same way Kol smelled just like you."

He pulled into a parking spot and twisted in his seat to grasp her chin. Tilting her head up, he pulled the collar of her sweater aside and nodded. When she had left the mansion there had been a bite on the right side of her neck, and now there was one on the left as well; both were fading away so that only the faintest impressions were left.

"I don't suppose Kol knows about this too?" Elena pulled her chin from his hand and pushed open her door.

"Elijah showered before Kol came home, so I doubt it," he shrugged. "But tell me sweetheart, why is it okay for my brother to take your blood and not me?"

"Because," she smiled sweetly over her shoulder, "unlike you they don't have nefarious plans for it."

She gasped when he grabbed her arm and spun her into the wall outside the door. Her breath caught when she looked up into his eyes.

"What if I didn't have nefarious plans?" He cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head.

Elena settled her hand over his heart and straightened her spine. The smile on her lips was tight as she tilted her head.

"Not if you were the last person on earth."

* * *

She drummed her fingers over the arms of the chair and waited impatiently for the doctor. Klaus was actually capable of taking a bag of blood on his own, but Elena liked to donate a bag as well. Part of the deal she had agreed to was for him to take her to the hospital clinic in a neighboring town every two months; he got one bag, while the other went to the bank.

She'd never felt so anxious waiting though. Usually she was in and out but the hospital was so busy not even Klaus could compel their way through.

They'd been there nearly an hour when she was finally called into the room.

"You know you don't have to be in here with me," she murmured as the door opened. A woman approached with a clipboard.

"Less people to compel in here," Klaus shrugged.

Elena sighed and buckled in for the usual round of questions.

"Are you feeling well today?"

"… A little tired."

"Do you have a flu, sore throat, fever, or infection?"

"No."

The list went on and on until Dr. Conner reached the end and turned the paper around for her to sign off consent. Elena was watching the blood slowly fill the bag and battling a sudden urge to be sick when Klaus' smooth voice broke through her thoughts.

His face swam in her vision when she turned to face him.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" He caught her swaying body and lowered her to lie down. "You're looking abnormally pale."

The thought that she might be sick had him bending closer and smelling her. His nose wrinkled at the odd scent; there was something unusual under her blood.

"I'm fine," she blinked slowly as her voice slurred. Struggling to keep her eyes open she swallowed. "When did you get four eyes?"

"Elena?"

Dr. Conner heard the surprise in his voice and rushed over. She pulled the needle from Elena's arm when she saw the brunette had fainted and started firing rapid questions at Klaus.

* * *

When Elena opened her eyes it was to find Klaus looking at her with bemusement in his features. She pushed herself up to sit and crossed her legs on the bed.

She could see some sort of smart remark in the corner of his lips. She had never taken him for the type to mock a girl for fainting but the amusement in his eyes was about to prove her wrong.

"Well…"

"Nothing," he held out his hands, "I just never took you for promiscuous."

"Excuse me?" Flames of anger shot through her.

"Let me guess," he cleared his throat. "Was it the quarterback?"

"What the hell are you on about?" Elena frowned. This was an odd way of mocking her.

"The human you obviously slept with," he waved in her direction. "According to the doctor it happened about three weeks ago. So was it the quarterback or are you sleeping your way through the to

He caught the plastic cup she tossed at his head. Eyeing the plastic he lowered it and met her eyes.

"I would normally retaliate," he hummed, "but even I have some limits."

"You?" Elena scoffed. She felt slightly emboldened by his admission and snagged another item from the side table. He flashed in front of her and grabbed it before she could throw.

"Don't try my patience, sweetheart," he squeezed her wrist. "I'll only hold back so much."

Elena gasped. She cradled her wrist to her chest and glared at him when he let go.

"So what's gotten you so riled up?"

Elena gave him an incredulous look.

"Are you serious? You essentially just called me a whore."

"Well you slept with someone human," Klaus crossed his arms, "I'm sure Elijah and Kol will be thrilled with the news."

"I didn't sleep with anyone else," she fought down the urge to snap. "The last human I slept with was Matt…"

"I thought it'd be the quarterback…" his brows furrowed when she cut him off.

"Before my parents died," she gingerly rolled her wrist.

Klaus frowned. Her heart was steady, and he could smell the anger in her blood along with that extra smell that now made much more sense.

"You sure you didn't black out?" He tilted his head. "Did somebody drug you at a wild party? Tell me who and I'll kill them." If someone had caused potential harm to his doppelganger he would end them in the most painful manner he could think of.

"What… no!" She shook her head. "Not that this is any of your business…"

"It absolutely is my business," he cut her off. "We had an agreement."

"Who I sleep with is my business Klaus," Elena snapped, "and since breaking up with Stefan three months ago I've only been with Kol and Elijah." She held up her hand before he could interrupt. "Don't say it…"

"Just tell me what possessed you to sleep with both of my brothers in the span of a week." Klaus rocked back on his heels. He was genuinely curious.

"It… it just sort of… sort of happened," she shrugged. It's not like she'd set out to do it.

"Lovely," he rolled his eyes. Klaus could understand her sleeping with Elijah, the two had a strange sort of chemistry and Elijah possessed a weakness for her face. Kol however had come out of left field; he'd spent marginally little time with Elena and never once shown an interest in her predecessors. There was still one pesky little problem though. "Who was the human?"

"I didn't sleep with a human!" Elena felt her indignation rising.

"You would have had to."

"Why?"

"Because you're pregnant?"

Elena froze for a moment. The way he said it made it sound like she should have already figured it out; the way Damon said things that should have been obvious.

"Very funny," she forced a laugh, "you know April isn't for another seven months right?"

"I'm not joking Elena," he grabbed the chart from the end of the bed and flipped it open. "The doctor took what little blood you had given when you fainted, and is coming back to do an ultrasound."

"I'm not pregnant!" She shook her head.

He sighed and flashed forward.

Elena gasped. He had lifted her shirt and pressed his ear to her naval. The hard stubble along his jaw set a fire under her skin. His hair was soft under her hand that moved to push him away.

"Klaus," her voice held a note of warning.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?"

Elena looked up to find Kol standing in the door of the room with Elijah right behind him. She thought she saw something like hurt flicker in their eyes, but as soon as she saw it the emotion was gone.

"What are you two doing?"

"Nik said you fainted," Kol cleared his throat.

"Are you alright?" Elijah stepped inside.

"Will you all shut up?" Klaus hissed. He nodded when the room quieted, caught Elena's wrist to stop her from pushing him off her stomach. He smirked when he found what he was looking for: a set of fluttering hearts deep in her body. He straightened up and poked her stomach. "Right there," he nodded, "two hearts."

"First I'm pregnant and now I'm having twins. How far are you going to take this bit?" Elena leaned back against the pillows. She was still feeling a little queasy.

"You're pregnant?" Kol's brows shot up.

"About three weeks ago," Klaus shrugged.

Elena had her eyes closed so she didn't see the hurt that lingered in Elijah and Kol's gaze. It took them a moment longer to hide it, but it was masked behind indifference by the time her lashes fluttered open.

They had both stopped to listen to the fluttering hearts in her womb, so it came as a real surprise when hers remained completely steady.

"No, I am not pregnant. There's no way I could be pregnant."

"I can't talk to her," Klaus threw up his hands.

"You shouldn't talk to women ever," Elena scoffed.

"Elena…" Elijah cleared his throat. "Is there any…"

"No," she cut him off.

"Then why is he telling the truth about the heart beats?" Kol braced his hands on the end of the bed.

Elena's eyes flickered from one Original to the other. She couldn't find any deceit in their eyes, but they'd had a thousand years to perfect their poker faces.

"Is this some weird family bonding thing," she swung her legs over the side of the bed, "pulling pranks on the doppelganger? Because it's not funny, and I really didn't appreciate the insinuations."

"Elena, where are you going?" Elijah watched her stand up.

"Home."

"I drove you," Klaus reminded her.

"I'll walk," she gritted her teeth. Unfortunately her hasty exit was cut short by her shaking legs. She made it to the door before the spinning room had her stumbling over her feet.

Kol, being the closest, caught her under the arms.

"Maybe I should lie back down," she clung to him and allowed him to move her back to the bed.

"That might be a good idea," Klaus nodded. "A woman in your condition should take it easy."

Elena didn't think about it. She snatched the pillow from the bed and started beating Klaus over the head.

"I," she punctuated each word with a new hit, "am not pregnant!"

"Would one of you kindly get the doctor?" Klaus held up his arm to block the pillow from his face. "It's clear she's not going to believe any of us."

He grabbed the pillow when Kol left the room. Swinging his arm back he sighed when the pillow was snatched again.

"That's enough," Elijah tossed the pillow aside.

"It's okay when she hits me."

Elena pressed her lips together. Klaus was flashing his brother the look of a petulant child; she saw Elijah roll his eyes.

"Niklaus, Elena could stab you and I wouldn't stop her," he turned his attention back to the door.

Elena smiled at Dr. Conner and motioned to the three Originals in the room.

"Doctor," she swallowed, "please tell these three they're crazy."

"Why would I do that?" She picked up the chart.

"Because I'm not pregnant," Elena crossed her arms. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized she was now the petulant child; her pout matched Klaus' perfectly.

"Sorry, hon," Dr. Conner flashed a sympathetic smile, "you've got elevated hCG levels. You're about three weeks pregnant; like I told your husband here."

Klaus rubbed the back of his neck when three sets of eyes turned on him. He shrugged and breathed in a voice that only his brothers could hear.

"They wouldn't tell me anything."

"I can't be pregnant doctor," Elena smiled sweetly. She rubbed Klaus' arm sadly. "Because my dear husband is infertile," she could see him slowly turning red.

"Well for your sake," Dr. Conner stepped up beside the bed and flipped on a machine, "I hope that was misdiagnoses because the other option for elevated HCG is rather grim." She frowned when she reached into a drawer. "I'll be right back; it seems I'm out of gel."

Elena waited until Dr. Conner stepped out of the room to cross her arms and turn to Klaus. Her heartrate quickly elevated.

"Husband?"

"I swear this hospital is on vervain," he held up his hands, "they wouldn't tell me anything."

"You could have said you were her brother, cousin…"

"Really any family member," Kol cleared his throat.

"Yes well…" Klaus cleared his throat, "… I went with husband. Anyone have a problem with that?"

Elena raised her hand.

"You don't count," Klaus waved dismissively.

"You're an inconsiderate jackass and a crummy husband" Elena rolled her eyes, "I want a divorce."

"I'll get you a good lawyer," Elijah stepped back for Dr. Conner.

"Have I missed something?" Dr. Conner took her place beside the bed again.

"No, no," Klaus flashed a charming smile, "just a little spat with the misses." He picked up Elena's hand and patted it.

"Don't touch me," she pulled up her shirt.

"Looks like you might be sleeping on the couch for a while," Dr. Conner teased.

"More like the dog house," Kol scoffed. He smirked when the comment brought a real smile to Elena's lips, but quickly wiped it off.

They fell silent as Dr. Conner performed an examination. Elena was turning to flash a smug smile when the wand froze in place and the screen was turned around to face her.

"Looks like a misdiagnoses," she pointed. "This is good for you because the other option was cancer."

"Elena?" Elijah was the first to hear her heart stutter.

She stared at the screen in silence; her entire body frozen in place. She turned her head slowly from the screen and frowned. As if from underwater she heard her name, but she couldn't figure out what direction it was coming from; she thought she saw Elijah's lips moving though.

"I think it's safe to say this wasn't planned," Dr. Conner stood up. "Aside from being a little dehydrated and a mild case of anemia she's fine, and as soon as she snaps out of her daze she's free to go." She scribbled out a prescription and passed it Klaus. "This is for prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and an iron supplement; fill them and make sure she takes them, drinks lots of water and fruit juice and you should avoid any future fainting spells."

It was ten minutes later when Klaus returned with the prescriptions that he felt his frustration grow. His brothers were on either side of Elena trying to snap her out the state she was still in.

"Still?" He sighed.

"She's right," Kol sighed, "you are a crummy husband."

Elijah rolled his eyes and reached around to unhook Elena's locket. Silently willing her to forgive him he tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes.

"Elena, snap out of it and speak to us."

Her sudden anger shocked them all.

"What did you do to me?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO
> 
> Here we go chapter two featuring: Jeremy, Bonnie, morning sickness, touch of smut, a tiny heart to heart, and a look into the mind of a suited Original vampire.

October 25, 2011

* * *

_"If I'm descended from Katherine does that make me part vampire."_

_"Vampires can't procreate, but we love to try. No… if you were related it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."_

Elena buried her face in her pillow and ignored the sound of voices that drifted up the stairs. She could hear Klaus as clear as day; he made no effort to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Someone needs to go in there and find out what the bloody hell is going on!"

Elijah's voice was calmer but she could still hear him. She didn't know if it was because her bedroom door was slightly ajar, or because her window was open.

"I will not invade her home without an invitation."

Kol was just as loud as Klaus.

"You're the only one of us who has an invitation."

The argument went on and on, an endless back and forth debate that only siblings could manage. Thankful that Elijah at least respected her privacy she tuned out the squabbling siblings and focused on her memories.

_Vampires can't procreate, but we love to try._

They certainly did love to try. Elijah and Kol had both approached the task with particular gusto. They had tried all night long and into the morning. And by the looks she had caught the both of them casting her, looks of hunger and longing, they would have loved nothing more than to keep trying; Elijah had been subtle about it, but Kol had made no attempt to hide his want.

_Vampires can't procreate._

Damon was a fool, an idiot, a moron… Elena struggled to come up with another adjective. Flopping onto her back she pressed her palms to her flat stomach.

They had tried, and one of them had succeeded.

_Stupid, sexy, Original vampires._

What would a half-vampire baby be like?

She was certain Elijah and Kol had been unaware of their reproductive abilities. They had both seemed as surprised as she was when she started screaming at them in the hospital. They had been so stunned they hadn't stopped her from storming out; she had made it into a cab and halfway up the stairs when three cars came to a stop at the curb.

They hadn't known, but that didn't mean she wanted to talk to them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in slowly. A storm was brewing in her belly; lightning, thunder, and rain mixed until a full blown hurricane was rocking her stomach and buffeting her body.

She drew in a slow breath and shifted slightly to try and temper the rain, but moving proved to be her fatal mistake. The once solid bed turned into a river raft rushing towards white water rapids. Bitterness flooding her mouth was the only warning she got.

She lurched to her feet with a mumbled curse escaping her parted lips. She covered her mouth and tasted bile. The only reason she made it to the bathroom was because she knew the path.

She fell to her knees in front of the toilet and heaved. One of her hands pressed firmly to her stomach as the organ turned over again and again. She was dry heaving when she finally felt the male hands; one was holding her hair at the nape of her neck and the other was rubbing soothing circles between her shoulders.

Wiping her mouth and pulling the handle of the flush she fell back against Jeremy's chest with her eyes closed. It was several long seconds of accepting the silent comfort before she remembered that Jeremy had gone to Matt's for some sort of gaming session.

Once she realized that her brain filled in the missing information. She recognized the strong arms now around her waist, and the feeling of dextrous fingers tracing long lost symbols on her stomach. She had woken a few weeks ago to the same fingers drawing patterns on her bare hip.

* * *

_A feather light touch ran over her hip, but it was too light and uneven to be described as up and down. There was nothing aimless in the movement though. She pursed her lips in concentration and decided the best way to describe it was as a 'B' with sharp corners. Just when she figured it out he switched and started tracing another symbol: a 'Y' with an extended leg so it felt more like a bird's footprint. It was when he started drawing little 'X's' that she lost it and started giggling._

_The ghostlike movements of his fingers raised goosebumps on her tingling skin._

_"What are you doing?" Her giggles turned to a catching moan as he brought his lips to the junction where her shoulder met her neck._

_Leaving open mouthed kisses along her shoulder he traced runes along her stomach down to the apex of her thighs. He felt her heart beat increase through her back and heard her breath hitch._

_"Elijah," she gasped._

_"Elena," he nipped her ear. The sound of his name, whispered like a prayer, from her lips traveled straight to his cock._

_He dipped his fingers into her warm center and groaned at the arousal he found. With a gentle nudge he rolled her onto her back and smirked when her legs parted on instinct for his hand. He whet his lips and withdrew his fingers to trace the language of his childhood against her clit._

_"Look at me," he murmured. The pleasure playing across her features was almost enough to turn what little control he possessed in her presence to shreds._

_Her eyes fluttered open. Meeting his dark eyes was nearly enough to make her come undone, but not quite. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as her muscles began to tense. She felt like she was on a precipice, like she was a bow with the string pulled taut; he was the hunter with the power to deliver her release._

_A low buzzing was beginning in her ears._

_He seemed to have a one way ticket into her mind, because before she could open her mouth to plead with him his fingers slipped into her soaked pussy and made a come hither motion while his thumb pressed firmly against her clit._

_He saw the moment her eyes went blind; it happened a split second before she threw her head back and moaned his name._

_She rode out her ecstasy on his dextrous fingers and came down from her high slowly. Her vision gradually returned until she was able to focus on him. His hair, which was always immaculate, rose in several directions; she threaded her fingers through it further rumpling the dark strands._

_"What was that?"_

_Amusement sparkled in his eyes and tugged at the corner of his mouth._

_"You don't know," he cocked a brow, "I'd be happy to show you again."_

_Elena's frown didn't last long. Her shoulders shook with a giddy laugh when he began to lick and nip his way down her torso pausing to tease her nipple with his teeth._

_"That's not what I meant," she arched her back. Her nails scraped his scalp as she pulled him up._

_"What did you mean elskede?" He propped his chin on her stomach and met her eyes._

_The open curiosity in his gaze and soft smile on his lips warmed her soul. In the back of her mind she wanted to stop and ask what he had called her, but she was more curious about the symbols._

_"You woke me up by drawing on my skin," she bent her knee. His eyes darkened as her soft skin teased his side, and her scent flooded the air. "It felt like letters, but not English."_

_"Was I?" A line appeared between his brows._

_"You were." She had thought it felt familiar, similar to what Kol had been drawing on her back, but she wasn't about to mention that to him._

_"I didn't realize I was doing that," he kissed the skin above her belly button. "Terribly sorry if I woke you up, elskede."_

_"I'm not," her eyes sparkled. "What was that other thing?"_

_He smirked and slowly slid down between her parted thighs._

* * *

"You're doing it again." Her voice was weak to her own ears.

From her bedroom she heard the unmistakable sound of Kol. Logic told her he was on the ledge outside her bedroom window.

"What's he doing, darling?"

"Love?"

 _Oh joy,_ she peeked through her lashes,  _they're both there._

She unfolded her knees and sighed as her feet appeared in the door to her bedroom, knowing they were watching intently for signs of life.

"What am I doing Elena?" Elijah tilted his head to try and catch her lidded eyes. A thin sheen of sweat clung to her brow. He could feel the way her body trembled in his arms.

"Drawing on me," she sighed.

Elena thought about pushing him away and standing up, but he was solid and warm, and she wasn't sure if her legs would actually support her weight. If he asked she would firmly deny snuggling back.

"Is this what I was doing?"

Elena started to nod and abruptly stopped when the movement made her stomach turn.

Elijah paused in the tracing of the Old Norse runes. He hadn't realized he was doing it at the time, but in that moment he had been intentionally tracing over her stomach. There was no real power in the runes it was just an old habit; only a witch could have put power behind the symbols for protection, gifts, and birth.

"Are you alright to stand, Elena?" He moved his hand to her hip. He felt her shaking head and nodded. "Very well. I'm going to move now…"

He smiled when she clutched his hand and whimpered.

"You'll be alright," he carefully broke her grip, "you won't even feel it; I promise."

Slowly this time, to avoid another bout of nausea, she nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.

He drew in a slow breath and moved at vampire speed to keep her from being jostled. She was cradled, bridal style, in his arms before she knew what had happened.

"It's nice to see she's alive," Klaus grumbled from the window.

"Go away," Elena mumbled.

"Is that anyway to talk to your husband?" He gasped dramatically.

"We're getting divorced," Elena reminded him. She bunched her pillow under her head when Elijah placed her on the bed. Peering through her lashes she posed no objection when he took off her shoes and draped a soft blanket over her body. The sight of the blue throw they had been wrapped in that night made a slight flush creep up her neck.

"What are you doing in my house?" Her voice croaked and her throat burned.

Elena blinked when he disappeared and reappeared a few inches to the left of where he had been standing with a bottle of water. She propped herself up on an elbow and took slow sips to wash the taste of bile from her mouth.

"I heard you fall and came in to make sure you hadn't hurt yourself."

Elena set the bottle on her night stand and lay back against the pillows. She tightened the blanket around her shoulders and curled into a ball; it wasn't as warm as his arms had been but it was still nice. The bed had stopped racing down the river.

"Elena?"

"Did she just fall asleep?" Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Cut her some slack Nik," Kol hopped down from the ledge, "she's had a trying day."

"Where are you going?" Klaus called after him.

"To get a witch," Kol shrugged. "Hopefully one who can answer the question of what happened?"

* * *

It was a habit really. Every time he knocked on a door he greeted the occupant of the house with a smirk.

He realized the mistake when she moved to slam the heavy wood in his face.

"Wait," he held out his hand before remembering he couldn't actually hold the door.

"What do you want?" Bonnie snapped. She held the door open for no other reason than to avoid having him kick it in.

"Your help," he sighed. "Elena's in a spot of trouble."

"Why didn't she call me?" Bonnie's brows furrowed.

"She's asleep."

* * *

Jeremy frowned when he pulled into the driveway and glanced at the cars along the curb. He made it into the house when he caught the sound of voices coming from upstairs.

 _She's not that stupid,_ he took the steps two at a time.

His frown deepened when he stepped into his sister's crowded bedroom.

"What the…" Jeremy's eyes darted to Klaus and Kol outside the window. Elijah stood at the foot of the bed and Bonnie was perched on the side.

In one of the more bizarre things he had seen in his sister's room, Bonnie had her hands on Elena's stomach and her eyes shut.

"Want to invite us in, mate?" Kol spotted him in the door. "This is not the most comfortable of positions."

Jeremy tore his gaze from his sleeping sister and gave Kol an incredulous look.

"What do you think the odds are of that happening?" He scoffed. "Does she know you're here?"

"As of yet," Elijah slid his hands into his pockets, "she is unaware of Miss Bennet's presence."

"Come on, Jeremy," Klaus knocked on the side of the house. "Invite us in."

"No."

"Invite us in or I'll burn the house down," Klaus growled.

"You'll do no such thing," Elijah snapped.

"What?" Klaus looked confused. "You're right there; you can get Elena out before the flames spread."

Jeremy ignored the escalating squabble and crossed to the bed. He pressed the back of his hand to Elena's forehead and turned to his ex-girlfriend.

"What are you doing?"

Bonnie opened her eyes, leaning back on her hands she sighed and shook her hair over her shoulder. She hadn't wanted to believe Kol, but Klaus planted the seeds of doubt and Elijah all but confirmed it. It shouldn't have been possible, but she had felt the proof forming in her friend's womb.

"Miss Bennett," Elijah cleared his throat.

She was about to answer when Elena rolled onto her side and yawned.

They were treated to the sight of her slowly waking up.

Elijah suppressed his smile at the soft expression of her face and waited for her to come awake. She released the tiniest of shrieks when she spotted the additions to her bedroom.

"Bon," she wiped the sleep from her eyes, "what are you doing?"

"Well I was doing a spell," Bonnie tilted her head. "Did you know you're pregnant?"

"Which one of you told her?" Elena closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath before turning her glare on the Originals.

Her question came at the same time as Jeremy's shocked outburst.

"Yes, Jeremy," Elijah cleared his throat, "she's pregnant."

"And the babies are not entirely human," Bonnie added.

"I hope you have more to add then that," Klaus drawled, "like how one of these two managed to do it."

"What?" Kol's eyes darted to his brother who shrugged one shoulder.

Jeremy looked over in time to see the Hybrid motioning to his brothers. His mouth went dry as he turned to his sister who managed a small nod.

"I think… I think I need to sit down," he stumbled back onto her vanity chair.

"Sorry," Bonnie shrugged, "your guess is as good as mine."

"How about which one of them did it?"

"Could you have any more tact, Niklaus?" Elijah rolled his eyes.

Elena pulled the blanket over her face to cover the crimson stain spreading over her cheeks; if Kol hadn't known before he definitely knew now.

"Elena…?" Bonnie trailed off. She tried to pull the blanket from the brunette's face.

"Miss Bennett," Klaus snapped.

"No," Bonnie spun around, "I've no idea. I don't even know if there is a way to find that out."

"There is," Kol piped up.

"You know how this happened?" Klaus' voice rose as he turned to his younger brother.

"Of course not," Kol rolled his eyes, "but I know of a spell nobles would use to prove the paternity of an unborn child. Usually it was reserved for when the wife's chastity was called into question."

"Would you mind getting it?" Jeremy pulled himself out of his daze. "I'd like to know which of your brothers I'll be beating to a bloody pulp."

"In your dreams mate," Kol smirked, "that's the only place you could take me."

 _Or you could just tie him to a headboard;_ Elena cut Kol a look from under the edge of her blanket. She rolled her eyes when he smirked.

Elena sat up on the bed so she could take a drink of water. She frowned when Elijah stepped up and passed her a few pill bottles. Uncapping the lids, after he explained her black out, she swallowed the vitamins and supplements.

* * *

October 30

* * *

She stepped out of her bathroom and relished the feeling of minty fresh breath. She had gone all day and only had one bout of morning sickness.

"Have a good day love?"

She held in her sigh and moved to the vanity. Dragging the brush through her hair she nodded slowly but otherwise ignored the Original vampire sprawled over her bed.

She was already regretting her moment of weakness.

"What are you doing here Kol?" She started pulling her hair into a loose braid.

"I just wanted to check in," he swung his legs over the side of her bed. Grabbing her hips he pulled her towards him and flattened his hands over her stomach. "Is it so wrong to pop around on the mother of my children?"

"Alleged," Elena took his wrists and pulled them from her flat stomach, "mother of your children."

"Terribly sorry if I haven't had a chance to find the spell," he stood and tipped up her chin.

"Have you even looked?" She crossed her arms and shivered. A cool fall breeze was blowing through the window.

"I resent the accusation that I haven't," he scoffed. "I've checked in every grimoire that Nik's managed to gather in the last thousand years."

"Klaus doesn't seem the type to collect grimoires," Elena's eyes narrowed.

"He's not, I am." Kol sidestepped out of the way so she could sit cross-legged on her bed. "Unfortunately most of my books were left behind in a sealed tomb in New Orleans. I couldn't exactly retrieve them with a dagger in my heart."

"There's no dagger in your heart right now," Elena cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, darling?"

"I would like to sleep tonight," she leaned back on her hands. His eyes slowly roamed over her frame and she did her best to not let the sudden arousal she felt show.

"Nothing's stopping you."

He bent and tipped up her chin with his knuckles.

A shiver raced down her spine that had nothing to do with her open window.

"I can't sleep with a vampire in the room," she settled her hand on his chest. The speed of his heart surprised her.

"You've slept with me in the room before," he swiped his thumb along her jaw. He couldn't explain the overwhelming desire he felt for her in that moment; his entire being wanted to surge forward and run his tongue over every inch of her body. "In the same bed."

"That was different," her breath hitched. Her eyes darted to his lips. It took every ounce of inner strength to push him back.

He exhaled slowly and breathed in through his mouth. It didn't do much for him; her level of desire was so great he could practically taste it in the air.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you had a problem with me," he took a step back and felt his head clear a bit.

"I don't have a problem with you, Kol," she sighed, "but we both agreed it was a onetime thing. It's not going to happen again."

"Your body is saying something else," he smirked.

"You can't go by that," she pushed her hair behind her ear and blushed, "apparently anything will set me off right now."

"That makes me feel so much better," he snickered.

"Sorry," she shrugged. She scooted over and patted the space beside her. She rolled her eyes when he gave her a suggestive look. "Don't go getting any ideas; I just want to talk. I want to know what you're really doing here."

He sat on the edge of her bed and tilted his head.

"I wanted to listen," his shoulders rose in a sheepish shrug, "to their hearts."

Elena settled her hand over her stomach where she imagined the sound was coming from. A frown marred her smooth brow. Pursing her lips together she turned to look at him.

"Why?"

He lifted his hand and waited for her nod before placing it on her stomach an inch below hers. There was nothing to feel yet, but he liked to imagine their hearts beating against his palm.

"Maybe you haven't realized just how miraculous this is," he looked up from her naval, "but hearing the beating hearts of children I  _might_ have played a part in conceiving…"

Elena waited patiently for him to finish. Part of her was jealous of Kol and Elijah who could listen to their hearts whenever they wanted, not even the strongest ultrasound machine could pick up the sound yet.

"… It's something… something I never thought I would get to experience."

She bit her bottom lip and looked down to his hand.

"What does it sound like?"

He tilted his head and considered the best way to describe it.

"Like galloping horses."

"No," Elena couldn't stop the laugh.

"Yes," he chuckled, "exactly like a galloping horse."

She was mildly surprised when he turned somber. She had grown so used to his carefree demeanor that his sudden change made her spine straighten. There was a question in his eyes.

"Are you happy about this?"

She took 'this' to mean the swirling cells currently forming two impossible children. Tipping her head back to stare at the spackle on her ceiling she considered her words carefully.

"I… I'm not unhappy."

"But you're not thrilled," Kol withdrew his hand.

"I don't know what the standard age was for having kids when were human, but I can 18 is not considered socially acceptable." She blinked slowly. "I figured it'd be at least ten years before I had kids, and I certainly didn't expect a vampire to be the father."

She mentally congratulated herself for quitting the cheerleading squad because at least she wasn't a walking cliché.

"Kol," she caught his sleeve when he stood up. She held her breath when he looked at her expectantly and promptly chickened out. "Next time knock on the door."

"Now darling," he flashed a teasing grin, "you know I can't promise that."

He paused on the way to the window and looked over his shoulder.

"You and Elijah… was that… was that the same type of arrangement we had?"

Elena inhaled slowly and felt the air pass through her lungs. She was looking now; she could see the hurt in his dark eyes and thought that maybe it might have meant a little more to him than he had let on at the time.

"Elijah was…" Elena chewed her bottom lip and exhaled in a rush. What was Elijah to her? "He was unexpected." She had a feeling what she was about to say was not what he wanted to hear, but she knew she had to get it out. "I didn't plan for it, and I didn't think about it."

* * *

October 31

* * *

"No costume this year?"

Elena waved down Matt for a refill and turned around to give him a dismissive glance.

"I'm not in a Halloween mood," she sipped the fresh drink. The bubbles popped across her tongue, the ginger soothed the twisting sensation in her stomach.

She suppressed her groan when he hopped onto the stool beside her. The smell of his cologne renewed the churning motion in her body. She suppressed a shudder, fought the urge to be sick, and held her breath.

"Let me buy you a drink," he waved to Matt.

"I'm not drinking," she sipped the gold liquid.

"Come on, Elena," he sighed, "let me buy you a drink to make up for what happened in the woods. Although really you should be the one apologizing to me."

Her brows shot up as she choked on her ginger ale. Sputtering on the fizzy liquid she struggled to catch her breath before replying.

"How do you figure that?"

"You let Kol break my neck," Damon sneered.

"You were hurting me," Elena inhaled slowly. She could almost feel his hands on her wrists. Thinking back she realized that if Damon hadn't tried to take her away then Kol wouldn't have saved her, she wouldn't have slept with him and left her bracelet in Elijah's car, and then subsequently slept with Elijah in her room.

"All the more reason to let me apologize," he smirked. "Two Mattie."

"No, I'm not drinking Damon," Elena rolled her eyes.

"It's just one drink."

"She said no, Damon," a smooth voice sounded from behind them, "I should think you're quite familiar with that word by now."

"He doesn't understand the meaning of it," Elena didn't have to glance over her shoulder. "I think it's the negative connotations associated with it; no means no."

"And now she has said it three times," Elijah stared at Damon with a bemused smile. "Are you going to leave or shall I remove you?"

"No need," Elena stood up, "I'm going to leave."

She was mildly surprised when Elijah offered his arm. Ticking off Damon was only part of the reason she accepted.

She drew in a long breath of the cool air and felt her stomach settle when they stepped outside.

"How are you feeling?" Elijah held in his disappointment when she lowered her hand to her side.

"A little nauseous," she admitted.

"And you're not attending the Halloween carnival at the school," he fell into step with her. One ear was on her response and the other on the fluttering heartbeats coming from her womb.

"I'm not in the Halloween spirit," she smiled. "I don't really want to watch my classmates get drunk from the spiked punch." She shuddered when a little girl, dressed as a zombie cheerleader, skipped around them. "Plus, all of that fake blood makes me want to puke."

She bit her bottom lip as another child ran by with a bag full of candy and a brown circle on a white stick. Her mouth watered at the sight and her stomach gurgled.

"Are you alright, elskede?" Elijah instantly cursed himself for the slipup. He had been very careful not to use the term of endearment around her; love and sweetheart were common endearments that his brothers loved to use, but neither was fitting for the way he felt about Elena Gilbert.

Before meeting her he had felt like he was drowning in the grief and anger brought on by his near century of solitude, but when she had placed that dagger in his hand, when she had proven she was nothing like her predecessors and showed her compassion and kindness in her everyday actions, he had felt like he was coming up for fresh air; she saved him, she reminded him of those qualities he had always valued in himself before a millennium of life had made him cynical.

He was in the middle before he realized the emotions he had thought buried beneath a pair of trees in New Orleans were back, that they were stronger than he had ever experienced; it was like he was a newly turned vampire in the throes of transition.

A part of him hated that she had been with Kol, and the other part was overjoyed that she had chosen him; that she might be carrying his children.

She felt a tiny thrill race through her at the term of endearment. She still didn't know what it meant but she made a vow to figure it out as soon as possible.

"I'm okay," she ran her tongue along her teeth, "I just feel a sudden and pressing need for a caramel apple."

"Is that a wise choice for someone in your position?" He chuckled.

"It's fruit," she defended with a smirk. Pivoting on her heel she slipped into the crowd along the front of the school. She glanced down when a warm hand settled on her elbow.

"Why don't you wait out here?" Elijah met her flickering eyes. "I'll get the caramel apple and you can avoid the fake blood."

"You don't have to…"

"I don't mind."

Elena watched him go and turned around to sit on the bench. She watched a witch, a vampire, a nurse, and a zombie mill around the front doors until her view was blocked by a vintage beaded dress.

Tipping her head back she met Rebekah's blue eyes.

"I hear I'm to be an aunt," her long fingers tapped her upper arms, "but I don't know which brother to congratulate."

Elena blinked slowly and pressed her palms to her stomach.

"Why don't you like me?" She tilted her head. "Is it just the dagger, or have I don't something else?"

"You stabbed me in the back," Rebekah's eyes narrowed. Elena had subconsciously moved her hands into a more protective position. "I'm not going to hurt you; you're pregnant. So in spite of the fact that you hurt me I won't hurt you for the sake of my nieces or nephews."

Elena worried her bottom lip.

"I didn't want to hurt you Rebekah," she admitted in a whisper, "but they told me it was the only way, and I had to because Stefan and Damon couldn't." She looked up to meet the blonde's blue eyes and felt her guilt return to torment her. "I'm sorry."

A line appeared between Elena's brows when the Original started laughing quietly.

"Took you long enough," Rebekah twisted and sat on the bench.

"What?" Elena frowned.

"I knew you didn't want to do it Elena," she sighed, "and in the future you should ingest your vervain." Her eyes darted to the brunette's flat stomach with a look of envy. "Just wait until after they're born."

"I know," Elena rubbed the back of her neck, "I didn't think the other day and sipped Jeremy's vervain filled water. I spent the next three hours throwing up."

They lapsed into silence that Elena was surprised to find comfortable before she spun around.

"Wait a minute! You knew I was being compelled? Why did you say anything?"

"I was waiting for you to apologize," Rebekah shrugged, "and the longer you went without making amends the more I thought you were like those bitches Tatia and Katerina; they never would have said sorry."

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long," Elena met her blue eyes.

"Me too," Rebekah turned towards the school. She could hear the distant voice of Elijah as he spoke with Alaric. "Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't hurt my brothers," she stared at the brick sign. "Elijah might hide it, but he cares for you and Kol… Kol likes you too." She turned to find Elena staring at her in surprise and gave a pointed look to her stomach. "Children of their own…" Rebekah worried her bottom lip. "… it's something they would have only dared dream of; a dream they gave up on centuries ago."

"You still dream of it don't you?" Elena tilted her head. She saw something flash in Rebekah's gaze. "You're happy and angry at the same time."

"I'm… I'm envious," she sighed.

"I wish I could tell you how it happened," Elena placed her hand on Rebekah's arm, "and maybe give you some hope."

"The fact that you're pregnant with my brother's children does give me hope," Rebekah's heart stuttered. It had been a long time since a woman had offered her genuine comfort. "I just hope it's not misplaced."

She saw her brother step outside and spotted the confused frown on his face; she knew instantly he hadn't realized she was there. Standing she turned around to meet Elena's eyes once more.

"Tread carefully."

Elena felt a rush of air before Rebekah was gone; a moment later Elijah appeared in front of her.

"What did my sister want?" He frowned.

"To talk," Elena shrugged and stood, "about the twins."

"She didn't threaten you?"

"Of course not," she shook her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw the candy apple in his hand.

"For you," he chuckled when she took it.

Elena inhaled the sweet smell of the caramel and felt her mouth water. Closing her eyes she took a large bite and felt the mixture of sweet and tart explode across her tongue in a kaleidoscope of taste that drew a deep moan from her throat.

"Elena?" He chuckled.

"Elijah?" She took another bite, and heard the second moan.

"Is it good?" He fell into step to walk her home.

"Delicious," she sighed. "Better than sex."

"Clearly it's been awhile since you've had good sex," he cast a sideways look in her direction.

Elena smirked and took another bite of the sweet treat. She knew he saw the way her eyes darted to him and back to the street.

"It has been a  _little_  while."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would do one chapter for each month of the pregnancy. The babies were conceived during the first week of October and are due towards the end of June.
> 
> As always I love hearing what you think of the story. I'm thinking it's going to be around Christmas when they find out the paternity because Kol needs a witch to open the tomb where the book is and Bonnie is the witch he wants to help him because he definitely doesn't want anyone who doesn't need to be in the know in the know. It's not going to be a blood sealing spell though, just a regular sealing spell. He would have tried earlier but he was daggered before he got the chance and he hasn't actually been awake that long.


	3. Chapter 3

November 5

* * *

_I don't know Rebekah well enough to know if she was joking. It's entirely possible that she's just having me on and making me think there is more there when there's nothing, but…_

_She knows her brothers. She's had a thousand years, minus however long Klaus kept her in a box, to learn the nuances of their personalities._

_I don't know what to think anymore._

_If they do both like me then I've made a real mess of things, and I'm right back where I didn't want to be: between brothers._

_There's always been this thing with Elijah, something unspoken between us. I know everyone thought I was crazy for trusting him and insane for forgiving him, but I did. I understood his reasoning. He betrayed me for family. I would have done the same thing, and I'd like to think he'd forgive me too. He forgave me for daggering him._

_It's all about family for him; family is the one thing he values most._

_And Kol… Kol can be incredibly inappropriate at times, but he's also funny and kind; though he tries to hide it behind a layer of sarcasm. There's something dark in him, something angry and bitter. The rumors and legends paint him as a monster, a psychopath but there's something good there too._

_There's genuine excitement there in his eyes. He wants it, I can see it. He appeared in my room just to listen to their hearts beating._

_I think there is a part of him that doesn't want to find the spell. There's a part of him that doesn't want to know; that doesn't want to be crushed beyond measure by learning their not his kids but his brothers._

_I want to know, but I also don't. I don't want to hurt them, and I feel like one of them is going to get hurt when the paternity is discovered._

_I don't think that's what Rebekah meant by, don't hurt them, but I know one of them will be._

* * *

Elena closed her journal and tipped her head back against the window to watch the clouds gathering. She could sense a storm brewing in the distance. The niggling sensation that something wasn't quite right prickled at the base of her skull.

The feeling wriggled and niggled, it twisted and squirmed, until her entire body crawled with a nervous anticipation. The thought that someone was breathing down her neck brought a cold sweat to her brow.

Slowly she turned her cheek toward her left shoulder with her eyes all but closed. Through her thick lashes she peered at the window in time to see a dark blur racing towards her.

She dove from the window seat with a shriek. Kneeling the floor and clutching her stomach she stared in increasing horror.

"Elena!" Jeremy rushed into the bedroom. He fell to his knees in front of Elena and wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. "What is it? What happened?"

She lifted a shaking finger to the window.

Jeremy slowly turned. A line appeared between his brows. There was a small smear of blood on the glass and behind it at least two dozen birds. Each one was the size of a blackbird with shorter tails, sharp yellow beaks, and a purplish-green iridescence to their bodies.

The birds were perched on every branch of the tree and poised to stare into the bedroom. Jeremy was not a bird enthusiast, but he was certain that was not normal behaviour; the feeling increased when more and more of the tiny creatures came to land in the branches.

A knock on the Gilbert's front door startled the birds into sudden flight.

Elena couldn't understand the relief that sagged through her shoulders when they were gone, but she embraced the feeling.

"That was weird," he murmured. Turning back to Elena he offered a hand to her feet. "Are you okay?"

Elena swallowed and nodded quickly, a little too quickly. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted from foot to foot in her cozy socks.

"They just startled me," she worried her bottom lip, "one flew into the window." She paled when she thought of the bird lying below her bedroom.

Jeremy saw the fear enter her dark eyes. He didn't understand the reaction but he had a good idea of how to make her feel a little safer.

"I'll get rid of it," he took her shoulder and spun her to the hall, "and you can get the door."

Elena smiled gratefully and went to the front door while Jeremy turned away. She heard him opening the cupboard under the sink as she twisted the doorknob. She tilted her head upon spotting the Original vampire on her doorstep.

"You're late," Rebekah looked over the large box in her arms.

"I'm pretty sure I've stopped for a while," Elena patted her abdomen.

"Not what I meant," Rebekah rolled her eyes. "You're late for the decade dance, and I put a lot of effort into transforming the school's gymnasium into a perfect recreation of a Chicago speakeasy."

"Isn't it supposed to be the 70's?" She frowned. "And the dance doesn't even start for another hour."

"You should be ready by now," Rebekah heaved an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

"The 20s were full of class and elegance," she pressed the box into Elena's hands, "and the 70s were full of bad hair, and terrible fabrics. I did my research, and there is no way I was getting in one of those ridiculous outfits."

"I figured you wouldn't have anything fitting for the decade, at least not something that came out of a second rate costume shop, so I brought you a little something," Rebekah stepped back from the door and smirked.

"You didn't have to do that," Elena tried to pass the box back only to be waved away.

"I know I didn't," she crossed her arms, "but I did some pretty rude things to you after the dagger, and they were only mildly called for, so I…" She pressed her lips together and sighed. "Just take the dress Elena."

Her dark eyes dropped to the box in her hands. She imagined after a thousand years the Originals wasn't used to apologizing; assuming she was anything like Klaus then she didn't apologize for anything.

Was this Rebekah's way of apologizing?

"Can I ask you a favour?" Elena met her blue eyes and bit her lip when Rebekah nodded. "Can you show me how to do that with my hair?" She pointed to the Original's blonde curls; the long locks had been manipulated into a short bob, and her bangs held a perfect wave.

Rebekah stepped up to the threshold and eyed Elena's glossy curls; in the week since she had last spoken to her Elena's hair had grown thicker. Rebekah tilted her head and hummed.

"I suppose your hair isn't completely hopeless."

Elena tempered her smirk and swallowed her smart remark. She was trying to cross a bridge and there was bound to be a little animosity along the way. Stepping back she took a deep breath and smiled.

Every journey had a first step. She had taken it when she apologized, and Rebekah had furthered their path.

"Would you like to come inside?"

* * *

Jeremy knelt on the cold grass and scrutinized the bird. It's wings were spread wide, it's beak broken and smeared with blood. Up close the bird was roughly the size of a robin.

He thought he might have seen birds like it around town, but for the life of him he couldn't remember the name.

Extracting his phone he snapped a quick picture and vowed to look it up later. He used the small garbage bag like a glove to pick up the bird and wrapped it tightly before slipping it into another bag and tying it off.

He placed it in the outside garbage and moved back towards the house in time to see Rebekah Mikaelson walking up the stairs.

* * *

November 28

* * *

She draped the dress bag over her arm and held in her sigh while plucking her high heels from the floor of the car. Aiding in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant was the last thing she wanted to do, but she hadn't been able to say no. As the previous year's runner up she had an obligation to fulfill.

She loathed the thought of donning the high heels though.

The dressing rooms were just as she remembered, but what surprised her was the occupant of one of them.

"Bekah?" Her brows rose slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"She's entering, darling," Kol rolled his eyes. "Although why she would want to enter such a silly show of pageantry is beyond my comprehension. They're full of stupid, selfish girls."

"Stupid, selfish girls?" Her shriek surprised even her; they were standard misconceptions held by almost everyone but even knowing that Elena felt sudden, and unbidden tears, well in her eyes.

"Well done, Kol," Rebekah scoffed.

"What?" He looked up from his phone in time to see the first tears fall. "What did I do?" He stood from his seat and moved towards the brunette.

Elena pushed his hand away and moved into the bathroom. Slamming the door, she slid down the wood and proceeded to sob.

* * *

Caroline paused in the hall and peered into the dressing room where Rebekah and Kol Mikaelson were calling through a door. Tilting her head she heard the unmistakable sound of a girl sobbing.

She stepped into the room and crossed her arms. It wasn't unusual to find one of the contestants crying. The girls tended to put a lot of stress on themselves before the gala; she would know better than most. She'd been one of the ones to succumb to her stress and sob. Nobody had been the wiser when she walked down the stairs though.

"Who's having a breakdown?" Caroline's eyes grew round when the siblings turned to face her. "Oh no… don't tell me one of you killed someone and traumatized one of the contestants."

"Do you really think so little of us?" Kol scoffed.

"I don't really know anything about you," Caroline huffed, "other than the fact that you're related to Klaus and likely slept with Elena."

"Likely?" Kol frowned.

"She never told me for sure, and I never asked," Caroline shrugged, "but you did leave the party with her, and she was out all night."

"And now she's crying on the other side of this door," Rebekah twisted the handle of the door. "Elena open up please."

Caroline pushed passed Kol and pressed her palms to the wood.

"Elena," she called softly, "what's wrong?"

The strangled assurances that she was perfectly fine did nothing to assuage the worries of the three vampires on the other side of the door, but they didn't get a chance to reply before a voice called the contestants to the stairs.

"You go," Kol waved them off, "I'll try and get her to open the door."

The blondes reluctantly left to take their places while Kol stepped in front of the door. He could hear the gala beginning and the telltale sound of three hearts beating on the opposite side of the smooth wood.

"I'm sorry for whatever I said, darling," he reached for the knob, "I can assure you I was only trying to get a rise out of Bex. It's incredibly amusing riling her up."

"You called me stupid and selfish," Elena propped her chin on her folded arms. Her watery eyes found the high window and stared at the branch of an oak tree. A small bird landed on the window sill.

"I did not call you stupid," Kol tried the handle, "or selfish. I called the contestants that."

"I was a contestant," her voice cracked on the last syllable. Outside the bird began to chirp as it was joined by more. Elena was suddenly reminded of the scene in her bedroom a few weeks before. A bead of sweat slid down her spine.

"And again, I did not mean it," Kol frowned. He could hear her heart accelerating and the smell of fear drifted under the door. "Elena," his voice took on a new sense of urgency.

Her eyes locked on the bird as her breath caught in her throat. A niggling sensation of dread started low in her abdomen. Through the door she could hear Kol's voice growing more and more frantic, and somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized the threat in his voice; he would rip the door from its hinges if she didn't open it by the time he counted to three, but she couldn't move her legs.

"One," he tightened his grip on the doorknob, "Two… I mean it Elena I'll…"

Kol trailed off and made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. Ice raced through his veins at lightning speeds and from the corner of his eye he saw his hand turn grey. In the span of a moment his skin lost the colour of health and his eyes slid shut; he didn't see the person who stepped over his body.

Elena got to her feet and swiped at her eyes. She had easily heard the thump of a heavy body hitting the floor. Crossing her fingers that Damon had shown up and provoked Kol with a look she reached for the doorknob.

Her eyes narrowed when she stepped out to find Kol unconscious and a middle aged woman standing in front of him. It became clear the woman was a witch when she waved her hand and sent Kol sliding across the floor below the window.

"So you're the latest doppelganger," she turned towards the bathroom. "If my sources are correct your name is Elena."

"Who are you?" Elena swallowed down her rising nausea and met the woman's gaze.

"I think you already know."

* * *

Elijah found Elena twenty minutes after the start of the pageant kneeling on the floor of a dressing room over his brother. Her mascara was smudged and her cheeks blotchy but the tears had long since stopped.

"What happened?" He knelt next to her and listened to his brother's heart. It was slow but steady. He turned his attention to Elena and placed a hand on her elbow. "Elena, what happened?"

Elena blinked slowly and tore her eyes from Kol's face as the colour began to return. Her arm warmed beneath his fingers.

"A witch…"

"Are you hurt?" Elijah took her shoulders and turned her to face him. One of his hands fell to her stomach. He wasn't too worried about his brother; Kol was an Original and there was only one thing in the world that could kill him. Kol would be fine, but Elena was shaking.

"No," she shook her head.

"But you've been crying."

"Hormones," Elena's breath caught in her throat when his hand cupped her cheek. She met his worried eyes when he swiped a single tear from her cheek.

"Rebekah mentioned Kol said something moronic," Elijah frowned. It was like Rebekah to stir up trouble at times, but he was giving his brother the benefit of the doubt; assuming he had been responsible for Elena's tears he would break his neck the moment he was healthy again.

"I blew it out of proportion," she brought her hand up slowly and curled her fingers around his wrist. "I'm okay…" she managed a small smile, "… every book I've read says it's normal to burst into hysterical tears for no reason."

Elijah searched her shifting eyes. Elena was not the deceitful type, and unlike Katerina, and even Tatia, she had never lied to him, but he spotted something she was trying to hide.

"The witch didn't hurt you?"

Elena jolted when Kol sat up with a groan. Instinctively her grip tightened around Elijah's wrist; when she caught Kol's pointed look she released his brother and sat back on her heels.

"Did you happen to see who it was?" Elijah's jaw ticked as he turned to Kol.

"No," Kol shuddered, "I was out before I knew what was going on. I don't know who it was, or what they wanted. I do want to know if you're alright," he took Elena's arm. "Did you see who it was?"

Elena's eyes darted between the brothers who were looking at her with concern; concern for her and the children that might or might not have been theirs. It was touching and sweet and it brought her heart into her throat as she nodded, but words failed her.

"Who was it, Elena?" Elijah's thumb pressed to the sensitive skin of her inner arm. He hadn't realized he was still holding her until she glanced down at the movement. "What did they want?"

"She…" her throat thickened with sobs. She didn't know how to tell them who the woman was; she wasn't even sure if she believed her. "She wanted my… my…" her voice rose to a pitch that only dogs and vampires could hear, "… my blood."

The response was immediate. Both brothers instantly began checking her over for potential injuries, and Elena burst into tears because here were two of the oldest vampires on the planet that could smell blood looking to find blood that only existed in her veins. Their concern was so great that they had forgotten their senses; the moment was so human and so incredibly sweet that she broke.

"Bloody hell," Kol swore, "you're crying again. Why are you crying now, darling? Did I say something stupid again?"

Elena squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands. Shaking her head she released a series of unintelligible squeaks and rocked forward. Because of their positions on the floor her head managed to land on both of their shoulders. The strong hands that slid over her back and into her hand only made her cry harder.

 _You're better than this, Elena._ She mentally berated herself, never in her life had she been one prone to break down in tears. She had grieved for her lost loved ones, but tears had rarely been part of the equation. Her family was gone and she hadn't cried, but the thought of telling them who had actually attacked Kol and asked for her blood brought gut-wrenching sadness to her body.

It was a good ten minutes before she calmed down enough to tell them that 'no she did not take my blood' and 'yes, I'm okay and the babies are okay'.

But try as she might she couldn't form the words that they needed to hear. How did you tell someone their deceased mother had attacked them?

* * *

November 29

* * *

_"I still think one of us should be there; at all times until that witch is caught."_

"I'll be fine Elijah," Elena sighed into the phone. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. "It's girl's night; I can't have an Original vampire crashing girl's night."

_"Rebekah then."_

She could hear the desperation in his voice, the pressing need to know that someone was there to keep her safe. If she were to be completely honest she wanted one of them there, but she needed to talk to her friends first.

"I'm telling Caroline tonight," she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, "about the babies, and once Caroline knows it's a matter of time before everyone else finds out as well…"

_"She can't keep your secrets?"_

"It's not that," Elena sighed, "It's just that… she means well. She always means well, but sometimes,  _accidentally,_  she lets something slip. People are going to find out anyway when I start to show, and she will never forgive me if growing belly is the one to tell her I'm pregnant."

_"Are you sure you can trust her, Elena? My family has amassed many enemies over the centuries."_

"Caroline wouldn't say something that would put me in danger," Elena's eyes narrowed, "she might blab about me being pregnant, and rag on me for it, but she'll never endanger me, not even accidentally."

She set the bottle of water on the counter and reached into the freezer. Pulling out the tray of ice she dumped the cubes into her glass until they were at the rim and popped another one between her lips to chew on.

_"Are you eating ice?"_

"It's delicious," she mumbled. "Anyway, I'm telling Caroline tonight, and as much as I'm starting to like Rebekah, Caroline and Bonnie do not. I'd rather not start the evening with animosity."

_"I don't like you being unprotected."_

"I'll have Bonnie and Caroline," Elena protested.

_"Miss Bennett may be from a powerful bloodline, but she is still new to the craft, and Miss Forbes is little more than an infant in vampire years."_

"How about I make you a deal?"

_"We're negotiating now?"_

"When are we not?" Elena could hear the teasing tone in his voice and could practically see the smile lifting his lips. "I don't want one of you showing up in my bedroom again like you did last night."

_"We were just keeping an eye on you…"_

"I know," she cut off his protest, "but that's a way to start a fight tonight."

_"What did you have in mind?"_

"You and this applies to Kol as well, stay far away from my house tonight…"

_"I don't like this plan."_

"And you give me two hours," she carried on as if he hadn't interrupted, "the girls arrive at seven. Give me two hours to talk to Caroline and Bonnie, and then you can send Rebekah over."

_"Elena…"_

"If my slumber party is going to be crashed it's going to be by a girl, got it?"

She waited with baited breath for his answer. He and Kol both had invitations into her home so it wasn't like she could stop them, but she was hoping he would accept her terms. She needed a chance to talk to her friends, and she were being honest she wanted to talk to Rebekah as well. Maybe she'd be able to tell the blonde what had actually happened the previous day without bursting into tears. She had tried telling Kol and Elijah but every time they would look at her with so many emotions swimming in their eyes that she couldn't get the words out.

"Do we have a deal?" Her lips lifted in a smirk. For a brief moment she felt like none of it had happened, like she had never slept with Kol and set off the chain of events that led to her current situation, and that they were back in their old routine.

_"You have a deal, Elena."_

* * *

Seven o'clock, on the dot, her front door was opened by her two best friends. She flashed a small smile which fell the moment Caroline backed her into the living room and pushed her into a chair.

"Did she find you?"

Elena gripped the arms of the chair and tilted her head. A line appeared between her brows as her eyes clouded with confusion.

"The witch," Caroline clarified.

Elena's brows shot up suddenly as she allowed her eyes to dart from Caroline to Bonnie and back again. She straightened her spine as best she could and did her best not to break down in hysterics again.

"What witch?" She was already dreading the answer. "What have you done?"

"Esther," Caroline ignored Bonnie's harsh cry that she should stop. "She's the Originals mother."

Elena turned her attention to Bonnie who had crossed her arms. There was a stubborn set to her jaw that worried Elena.

"Their mother died a thousand years ago," her voice was a whisper. She hadn't wanted to believe the witch, but here were her friends asking after the event. Her friends, who were clearly a part of the encounter.

"Bonnie got the last coffin open…"

"Caroline," Bonnie snapped.

"What?" Caroline frowned. "Elena needs to know. The whole point of all of this is to take out Klaus." Caroline resisted the urge to shudder; a small part of her had always hated the plan.

"You're still on that?" Elena shivered. The thought of hurting anyone made her stomach clench.

"Of course we are," Bonnie scoffed. "He's a psychopath, Elena. Even his mother agrees."

"She wants to help kill him," Caroline murmured. "She said she would need the blood of a doppelganger and we told her where to find you."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Elena crossed her arms.

"That's a really good question," Caroline fell to sit on the sofa and mirrored Elena's stance. Her eyes swivelled around to Bonnie. "I wanted to tell you right away, even Stefan and Damon wanted to tell you, but Bonnie said we had to wait."

"Why?" Elena bit her bottom lip.

"Because your loyalties have changed," Bonnie's eyes narrowed, "your sympathies have shifted."

"Is this just because she slept with Kol?" Caroline tilted her head.

"And Elijah," Bonnie's heart skipped a beat, "and now she's carrying their unborn babies. I couldn't be sure she wouldn't tell them about their mother's intentions."

Caroline spun to the brunette in a blur of motion. Her voice rose to a shriek.

"You're pregnant!"

Before Elena could answer or even have a chance to feel betrayed by Bonnie's slip her attention was pulled to the door by twin expletives from Stefan and Damon who had somehow slipped into her house.

"You're pregnant?"

Elena swallowed and looked from one face to the next. She could tell at a glance that every vampire was listening to her beating heart and the hearts of her babies. Slowly she nodded and flattened her hand over her abdomen.

She was starting to regret requesting two hours.

She spoke in the clearest voice she could muster to explain her situation as best she could. She hadn't finished talking before Damon began yelling at her, Stefan began yelling at Damon for yelling at her, and Caroline was telling the both of them to shut up.

"How stupid can you be?" Damon gripped the back of the couch; she heard it fracture beneath his palm.

"Leave her alone Damon!"

"She slept with the enemy; two of them and now she's pregnant with kids that shouldn't exist. Little monsters are growing in her as we speak."

"Damon," Caroline glared at him, "leave her alone." She flashed in front of Elena when she saw the glint in the elder brother's eyes.

"I'm willing to bet she didn't even give the blood to Esther," he went on in a loud voice.

Damon flashed into the kitchen and returned with a knife.

Elena jumped to her feet. The light glinted off the cold steel and sent shivers down her spine.

"What are you doing with that?"

"Those kids can't exist," Damon pointed the tip of the blade at her abdomen. "You're obviously still early so we just stab you a few times so you miscarry and then heal you up."

Elena backed into the brick fireplace and snatched up the fire poker. She brandished the makeshift weapon in her hand and pointed it in Damon's direction.

"You're not hurting my babies."

"They've clearly compelled you," Damon sighed. "Are you sure their even theirs? It would be just like Klaus to make you think that to keep you from terminating the pregnancy on your own so he ensures you have kids and he gets another doppelganger."

"The babies aren't completely human Damon," Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Then they've definitely gotta go," he advanced with the knife.

Caroline snatched the fire poker from Elena and threw all of her weight behind it. It was immensely satisfying pinning Damon to the living room wall and hearing his pained groan. She bent the iron at an angle to make it harder to remove and turned on Stefan.

He held his hands up and backed away a step.

"I'm not going to hurt her."

Bonnie raked her hands through her hair and turned to her shaking friend. She didn't want to hurt the brunette; Elena had been through enough the last few years, but she had to say it.

"I actually agree with Damon," her lips twisted in a sneer. They were words she never thought she would say. "About the babies. They're not natural Elena; they're like Klaus was: half and half. They shouldn't exist."

"Bonnie," Stefan shot her a look.

"What," Bonnie held up her hands, "you know I'm write. They shouldn't exist. The conception should have been impossible. I don't agree with Damon's method of abortion but he's right."

Bonnie's eyes darted to Elena. The spirits had told her the children would upset the balance of nature. She had feared what Esther would do, that she might turn around and side with her children for the sake of their children, so she hadn't told the Original witch about the babies.

"If this is how you feel," tears welled in Elena's eyes, "why didn't you say something sooner?"

"You've been surrounded by Originals at every turn," Bonnie sighed, "I couldn't exactly bring this up around them."

Elena swiped at her cheeks. She wasn't sad. She was angry, but apparently her emotions were being switched around by her hormones. She swiped again and stormed out of the room. Snatching the car keys from her entry way she walked out into the cold.

A slim hand on her elbow made her jump before she yanked her arm away, but the grip was too great to break.

"Give me the keys."

Elena blinked through a haze of tears.

"Give me the keys 'Lena," Caroline held out her hand, "you're in no condition to drive right now."

"I'm not going back in," her voice sounded strangled with unshed tears.

"I know," Caroline nodded, "I'm gonna drive you wherever you want to go."

* * *

He was halfway through the entry when a loud knock sounded on the front door. He approached with a furrowed brow while wondering if he had been expecting company.

"Elena," his brows shot up in surprise, "Caroline. I was under the impression you were having a girls night love."

"It took a nasty turn," Caroline managed a small smile.

"Such events usually do," Klaus smirked. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't feel safe in my own home," Elena swallowed.

"You feel safe in mine?" Klaus tilted his head.

"I feel like Damon will hesitate before crossing this threshold," Elena's thumb rubbed her stomach. "I have to tell you something."

"Come on in," he took a step back to allow them entry.

Elena followed Klaus through the halls and into a study furnished in dark wood and supple leather. He crossed to a drinks cart and poured himself a glass and one for Caroline.

She could feel the energy swirling in the corner of the room; it was a familiar feeling of power that sent a thrill down her spine.

"Elena?"

"Elijah," she managed a small smile. She could feel the weight threatening to settle over her heart but she couldn't let it again; it was time to tell him and it came out in a rush. "ThewitchwhoattackedKolwasyourmother."

She heard glass shatter and turned to see the tumbler of amber liquid broken against the carpet. She soldiered on before either of them could interrupt to keep from losing her nerve; she needed to tell them and she could only hope they believed her.

"She wanted my blood to kill you all, and when I wouldn't give it she left. I didn't actually believe her until Bonnie admitted to opening the last coffin Stefan stole from Klaus."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie woke Esther a few hours before Kol showed up on her doorstep. She was going to tell Elena but then she found out about the babies and worries that the babies have altered her sympathies; she didn't want her friend warning the Originals that their mother was back and planning a way to kill them all.


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Diary,_

_How to begin putting the pieces of my life down on paper?_

_In the span of an hour everything changed. I didn't stop to think about how easily I got out of the house until I was safely tucked into a guestroom by Elijah, and I didn't get an answer to the question until the next morning when Kol made an appearance._

_I thought it was a little strange that he wasn't here, but it turns out he had left to check in on me; he was going to watch the house until Rebekah arrived. He arrived in time to see me leaving with Caroline and followed us to the mansion before going back to my house._

_He took us all by surprise when he showed up with a bag of my things in the morning. None of us had to tell him about his mother; he'd already learned the extent of the situation from Stefan._

_Stefan was the one who blocked Bonnie from following me outside. I guess he only lasted a minute before she gave him a nasty headache but that was enough time to get in the car._

_I could tell they didn't want to believe me at first. Nobody wants to believe their mother is capable of killing them. I didn't want to believe my friends were capable of what amounts to cold-blooded murder._

_But one of the benefits of being the only human in town not consuming vervain is that my memories can be viewed by vampires._

* * *

December 4

* * *

It was amazing really, that in a house full of vampires she could completely disappear. He knew she was still inside but he couldn't hear her heart beating anywhere in the house, so it came as a surprise when he found her curled up on the window seat in the library.

She had a throw over her legs and her hands on her stomach. There was something protective in the curl of her fingers.

"Elena," he came up beside her.

She was startled from her thoughts by his strong hand on her shoulder. Damon's words were weighing heavily on her mind.

"Elijah," she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "What's going on?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He tilted his head and perched on the side of the window seat. His thigh pressed against her hip. "You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Elena pressed her lips together and shrugged. His hand slid from her shoulder to her elbow and kept a gentle hold.

"It's just something Damon said," she turned to stare out the window.

"I would advise you not to put any weight behind his words," he chuckled, "he has a tendency to say and do some rather foolish things. What has he said, elskede?"

Elena hesitated, although why she didn't know. Maybe it was for Stefan who had aided in her escape, but when she looked into Elijah's eyes she couldn't stop the admission.

"He called them monsters," her voice dropped to a whisper. "How can something so small and innocent and untouched by the horrors of the world be evil? People can't be born like that."

Something dark passed behind Elijah's eyes and the only thing that kept him from running across town to tear out Damon's heart was the furrow between her brows. He could tell in the way she held her stomach that she didn't believe it, but it had hurt hearing something so heinous said about her children.

He tipped her chin up with his knuckles and flattened his palm over her abdomen, the tips of his fingers brushed against her hand.

"You're right," he smoothed the line from her brow. "Evil isn't something that's born, Elena; it's made. My mother made us vampires, but we turned ourselves into monsters."

"You're not monsters, Elijah," she caught the hand on her stomach.

"I could name fifty people right now who would say different," he glanced down to where she squeezed his hand. "Whether you're right, or they are, my point remains: evil is not born; it's made by the snuffing out of the light."

Elena sat up slowly as he spoke until they were only a few inches between them.

"These children are going to be full of light, Elena, because you are. There is a tiny piece of sunlight in you that is guaranteed to live on in these children."

She couldn't stop the small smile that lifted the corner of her lips.

He met her eyes and mirrored her smile. The light that drew people to her like moths to a flame flickered in her chocolate brown eyes.

"There it is now," he murmured. He couldn't stop himself from cupping her cheek and allowing his thumb to gently trace her lower lip. "You bring out the best in people and these children will be lucky to have you as a mother. Nobody bathed in that much light could ever be evil."

She felt her bottom lip tremble and blinked back her tears. She was starting to get really sick of crying. The mist in her eyes slowly disappeared in the intensity of his gaze.

He saw brilliance in eyes and she saw a devotion that she had never dreamed would be directed at her.

Elijah hated to break the quiet moment but he needed to make sure she understood.

"Promise me you'll never listen to Damon Salvatore."

"I won't," she cleared her throat and shifted back a few inches. She hadn't realized she'd been moving closer until he'd spoken. "I don't think that's what was really bothering me anyway."

"What was bothering you?" He frowned and backed up a bit to put some distance between them. Whenever he was around Elena he felt like he was being drawn to her; he often joined her in quiet moments and sat with her while she read, or wrote in her journal.

"I was thinking about what might have happened if Caroline hadn't been there," she sighed, "or if she'd agreed with Damon and Bonnie. If she hadn't gotten in Damon's way and knocked the…"

Elena trailed off when she saw his expression harden. Elena had never been afraid of Elijah and she wasn't then but in that moment she knew why others had been. There was an almost murderous glint in his eyes.

"Did I not mention that he was going to kill them?" Her voice was quiet. Things had been rather hectic when she'd first arrived at the mansion.

"No," his jaw ticked, "you didn't."

She grabbed his sleeve before he could stand.

"Don't," she tightened her grip.

"He was going to hurt you Elena," Elijah carefully broke her grip, "and murder our children. It's a crime I won't let go unpunished."

Elena scrambled up from the window seat and blocked his path. Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Why are you trying to protect him?" He took her elbows but didn't move her aside.

"I'm not protecting Damon," she shook her head; "I don't give a rat's ass about Damon Salvatore right now. I care about you and the fact that Damon and Bonnie are working with your mother who admitted to wanting to kill you all last week."

His hands slid up to her shoulders as he stared into her worried gaze.

"I'm an Original vampire, elskede," he exhaled slowly, "the only thing that can kill me is a stake from a white oak tree and that tree no longer exists."

A niggling sensation started at the base of her skull. Doubt flared out through her brain.

"How sure are you?"

* * *

"I'm still a little foggy on the plan," he leaned against the wall and watched the witches in his sitting room. "I thought you needed Elena's blood."

"The willing blood of a doppelganger would have allowed me to rid this world of my children in one move," Esther glanced up from the map on the table, "but it was not necessary."

"How do we know you're actually on our side?" Damon straightened up. "How do we know you're not just distracting us while you're little angels do who knows what to Elena?"

Esther sighed and straightened up. She loved her children beyond measure; what mother wouldn't? She loved them, but she had made them what they were and she needed to clean up that mess.

"My children are monsters who have killed countless innocents because I made them immortal and gave them an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Vampires," she cast Damon a disdainful look, "are an abomination in the eyes of nature, and I will stop at nothing to correct the mistake I've made. I don't want any more humans to suffer at their hands. Make no mistake in my devotion to my goals Damon; I will kill them all."

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly before stepping closer to the map on the table.

"How exactly are you going to do that? What did Elena have to do with it?"

Esther tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and watched him examine the map.

"Elena's blood, when willingly given, would have allowed me to link all of my children together, so whatever happened to one would happen to all. I could have then turned them human with the rest of her blood and killed them easily."

"Elena's never makes a smart decision," Bonnie scoffed, "she actually trusts Elijah, and she's friends with Rebekah."

"I still think she's being compelled," Damon rolled his eyes. "That was the easy plan," he turned his attention back to Esther, "what's the hard plan?"

Esther nodded to the map and the area that had once been the center of her village. A great oak tree had towered over them through the course of the year; it had been older than anyone in living memory could say.

"The tree which I used to turn my children into what they are can be used to kill them. Without the cooperation of Elena they will have to die one at a time."

"Small problem," Damon held up a finger. "The Originals burned that tree to the ground a thousand years ago."

"But not the replacement," Esther tapped the table. "There was a sapling to replace the old tree. The villagers planted it again 300 hundred years after my children fled from their father."

"A tree like that would have been cut down for lumber," Damon crossed his arms, "you won't find it with a spell."

"We know," Bonnie crossed the living room and plopped into a chair. "We've been trying."

"Luckily," Damon smirked, "the town keeps a record of all public works projects."

"Unless they went private," Bonnie pointed out.

"You check the archives," Damon nodded, "and I'll check my family ledgers." He flashed Esther a cheeky grin. "We will kill them all."

She watched the young ones leave the room and nodded.

"Yes, we will."

* * *

December 16

* * *

She had never thought she would be happy to be pregnant at 18. She had never thought she would be this excited to meet the children forming in her womb, but she was.

What she wasn't happy about was the morning sickness. She had thought it was over and done with, but then she had been woken up by Rebekah for school. She'd made it to the kitchen where Kol had surprised her with breakfast and a cheeky smile.

It had been incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and thankfully she hadn't cried, but she hadn't gotten through three bites before the babies decided they really hated eggs.

She'd been throwing up on and off for the last three hours. She loved her little miracles but if they didn't stop the nausea soon she was seriously going to ground them.

"Feeling any better, darling?" Kol knelt beside the bed. He smoothed her hair back from her sweaty brow.

"No," she groaned.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You couldn't have known," she sighed. Snuggling into her pillow she tried not to shiver.

Kol retrieved the blanket from the foot of the bed and draped it over her shoulders. He didn't like the way she was shaking, or the green tint of her skin.

He glanced up from her pale features when the door opened further.

"Elena?" Elijah stepped inside. "I thought you left for school." The last he had seen she'd been stepping into the kitchen when he'd been on his way out. He'd promised her he wouldn't confront Damon without a plan and he'd meant that so he'd gone to meet with a witch who had directed him to the tunnels.

"I thought you went to the tunnels," Kol shifted to sit on the side of the bed.

"Don't rock the bed." Elena tasted bile at the back of her throat.

"Sorry, darling," he passed her the glass of water he'd brought in. "Here, love, take slow sips."

Elena pushed herself up slowly and did as instructed. The cool water soothed the burn in her throat but twisted in her belly.

"Breakfast didn't sit too well," Kol turned to his brother.

Elijah was careful when he sat on Elena's other side and pressed the back of his hand to her warm brow. Her colouring worried him, as had her instinct that something wasn't right.

"Remind me to ground them when they come out," Elena shut her eyes and braced her back on the headboard.

"I don't think newborns will understand the concept," Elijah chuckled. "Why don't we remind you the first time they get into trouble? You can add on to their punishment."

"If they're anything like me it'll be when they're 5," Kol smirked.

"I sense a story there." Elena peeked through her eyelashes and frowned.

"He got into Niklaus' paints and turned Rebekah's hair blue," Elijah laughed. "She was not impressed."

"And of course since they were natural paints made from berries the colour faded to purple and stuck around for months," Kol smiled at the memory. "Rebekah liked it; mother was the one who was not impressed."

Elena giggled at the thought of Rebekah with purple hair. Something like that would have been easy enough to wash out in the 21st century but in the 10th it must have been difficult.

She pushed her hair behind her ears. Her nausea was slowly starting to fade as she listened to their talking.

"What did you find out?" Kol took Elena's glass and put it on the nightstand.

Elijah pulled his phone from his pocket and passed it to Kol. Watching his brother flip through the images he heard Kol's heart skip a beat and saw the moment his jaw clicked.

"What is it?" Elena straightened up. Her eyes shifted from Kol to Elijah.

Elijah met her dark eyes and explained what Kol was already seeing.

"There was another tree," he saw the surprise flicker in her eyes. "I couldn't get inside of the cave for a closer look, but on the drawings I would say it was planted some 300 years after we left for Europe."

"Wouldn't someone have noticed a tree like that?" Kol frowned.

"The forests were thinned out about a century ago," Elena bit her bottom lip, "the wood was used to build up the town." It had been a source of pride in her middle school history class that everything had been locally sourced.

"Chopped down and used to build someone's house," Kol rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's unlikely," Elijah frowned, "a tree like that would have been used for something greater than an individual house."

"Public works project," Elena suggested.

Kol was about to respond when Elijah beat him to it. He sat back and watched as the pair of them started listing off the possible things the tree could have been used to build. He wondered if they realized that they were shifting closer to each other. He wondered if they knew of the emotions filtering through their eyes.

* * *

December 17

* * *

Every step echoed off the jagged rocks and for a moment he was transported back in time. All that was missing was the sound of wolves howling at the entrance.

Tilting his head he could even imagine that it was Tatia Petrova walking a few steps in front of him, but it wasn't Tatia.

"I think I'm a little lost," Elena glanced over her shoulder. They had reached a fork in the path.

"Left, darling," he pointed the flashlight in the correct direction.

"Of course," she snickered. The beam of light was pointing towards the narrower of the paths. She turned sideways and started shimmying through the path.

"The caves were meant to protect us from the wolves," he chuckled. "In addition to the spells cast by witches…"

"Nature added a few obstacles," Elena finished. She faced forward when she came out in a cavern with a vast ceiling.

"Yes," he came out beside her.

Elena started spinning in a slow circle. Her eyes followed the line of her flashlight and searched every nook and cranny until she spotted an opening roughly the size of a door. She started towards only to pause after a couple of steps.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She froze in place and breathed slowly. She could practically hear her heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Elijah I mean," he tilted his head. He heard her heart skip a beat before beginning to race.

"What makes you think that?" Elena swallowed before turning around to watch him.

Kol nodded once and cast his eyes to the far wall of the cave. There were so many reasons for him to think that, and the fact that she didn't know it told him she just might be unaware of it all.

"Several things," he stepped towards her and looked down into her eyes. His hand dropped to her stomach and felt the tiniest shift under her t-shirt. "The fact that it just happened, the way you look at him. Did you know you turn toward him the moment he enters a room? That the pair of you gravitate towards each other?"

Elena opened her mouth to deny it but she couldn't. She knew she cared about Elijah, but love… did she love him?

Conversation with the Original vampire was easy, and when she thought of him in that moment she found she missed him. When Damon had come towards her with that knife all she could think about was being safe again, and she hadn't felt safe until she was back in his presence. Kol provided that feeling too as did Klaus and Rebekah, but with Elijah she felt a sense of peace.

"Elena," Kol tipped her chin up with his knuckles.

"I don't know," her chest tightened.

He sighed and mentally chastised himself for his tactlessness. One day he would look into controlling his impulses and his tongue.

"I think you do know," he tilted his head. "Your heart knows it," his eyes darted to her chest, "your body knows it," he brought his finger up to tap her temple gently, "but your mind hasn't caught up yet."

Elena drew in a slow breath and heard Rebekah's words echoing in her head. The blonde had said Kol liked her.

"Just tell me one thing, darling," he saw the hesitation in her eyes; the fear of acknowledging her emotions. "Could you see yourself ever loving me?"

"I…"

What could she say?

Her breath caught when he bent down and caught her lips in a soft kiss. The pressure of his tongue along the seam of her lips stole the last of the breath from her lungs and caused heat to pool low in her belly, but in her mind it wasn't Kol holding the side of her face, it wasn't Kol pressing his hand to the small of her back, and it wasn't Kol pulling her flush against his chest.

She blamed her hormones for the way her body reacted, but the image in her mind was not so easily banished.

He broke from her lips and kissed her forehead.

Her breath came heavy as she opened her eyes. Once again she knew the words on the tip of her tongue were not the ones he wanted to hear, but they were words that had to be said.

"No," her chest lightened with the admission. She fully recognized the cliché nature of what she was about to say. "I like you Kol, but only as a friend."

"A friend you sleep with," he smirked.

"Slept with," Elena shook with a small laugh, "past tense." Concern flashed in her dark eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine, darling," he smiled. "I will admit it's the first I've lost a girl to Elijah." He held up a hand before she could protest. "Think whatever you want, and say whatever you want and I'll believe what I will. I know he cares about you, and I'm pretty sure he's in love with you and if there's even a chance of that you might love him too I won't stand in the way."

"I don't want someone who doesn't want me," he took a small step back. Pressing his hand to her stomach again he met her eyes in the gloom of the cave. "I do plan on being involved in the lives of these children whether it's as their father or their uncle."

"You'll need to be alive for that," she closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

"Then let's find out if there really is something out there that can kill me," he teased.

"Please don't make jokes about this," she turned towards the cave. The thought that any of them could die at any given moment made her heart flutter with fear. "I don't want any of you to die."

"Not even Nik, darling?"

She took a deep breath and stepped over the barrier into the cave and turned on the camera around her neck. Glancing over her shoulder she shook her head and was surprised to realize it was true.

"Not even Klaus."

* * *

Elena stepped into the foyer and nodded when Kol told her he was going to find Klaus and Rebekah. He'd taken one look at the pictures she'd taken and put the full history together. With him talking her through the process they had dated the markings on the walls and concluded that a second tree had indeed existed and it was not merely the retelling of the spell that had created the Original vampires.

She turned towards the kitchen while pulling her hair up into a messy bun. She pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and took an apple from the bowl on the counter. Hopping onto a barstool she turned the fruit over in her hands.

"You look like you're about to jump into a monologue," Rebekah leaned in the frame of the door.

"To be or not to be," Elena tilted her head, "or an ode to an apple?"

"Who's to say you can't do both?"

Elena smiled before sinking her teeth into the fruit. She'd never been a huge fan of apples but ever since she'd gotten pregnant she couldn't get enough of them.

"We found something," Rebekah sat on the opposite stool and crossed her legs, "while you and Kol were exploring the tunnels."

"Oh?" Elena blinked.

"Yes," Rebekah nodded. "Technically Nik found it."

Elena nodded and turned to face the blonde directly.

"We figured out how you got pregnant…"

"You did?" Elena's eyes lit up.

"We did," Rebekah glared at the brunette for interrupting, "in an old Grimoire of Ayana's; it's probably the only one that didn't get passed down through her family."

Elena's spine straightened as Rebekah explained what they had learned. She didn't realize that Kol and Klaus had joined them in the kitchen until the blonde was done speaking.

"Doppelgangers should really come with an instruction manual," Elena grumbled. Her eyes swiveled to the door when a snickering voice sounded.

"Evidently they do sweetheart," Klaus waved a leather grimoire. He flipped it open to the pages in question and saw the line appear between her brows as he read aloud in the ancient language.

"Well…" she crossed her arms over her stomach, "… it should be clearer, and in English."

Kol nodded in agreement. It would have been nice for Elena if the writing was in a language she could understand, and it would have been nicer if the grimoire gave an indication on how to learn about the paternity of the children.

Elena took a look around the room somehow already knowing he wasn't there.

"Where's Elijah?"

"He went to check the archives for any mention of a white oak tree," Klaus closed the book. "He'll probably be back soon."

* * *

The moon was rising in the sky by the time Elena heard the familiar sound of his shoes on the hardwood floor. She grabbed the grimoire Klaus had given her and walked out into the hall.

She stopped outside his bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Elena," he opened the door and smiled.

For a moment she forgot how to breathe. He had removed his jacket and tie and had clearly been in the process of removing his shirt. Her eyes slid down the exposed skin of his chest and lingered on the tattoo over his heart. She remembered tracing that mark with her tongue, nibbling the edges with her teeth, and felt her knees weaken.

"Elena?" Elijah cleared his throat. His hand tightened on the knob of the door when her arousal rose and permeated the air. The smell was enough to make his head spin.

"Sorry." His voice snapped her out of her reverie. She cleared her throat and turned over the grimoire.

"Rebekah and Klaus found a few answers today," her skin tingled when he touched her hand. She explained while he flipped open to the marked pages. "Turns out my bloods good for a little more than breaking making hybrids, or…" she glanced down to her stomach, "… it's perfect for making hybrids depending on how you want to view the situation."

Elijah found the section in question.

"Your blood temporarily changes us," he glanced up, "for as long as it remains we regain the strengths we lost." He wanted to believe that answered the question of who had fathered the children, but he knew Kol had bitten her as well; he had seen the mark on her neck.

Elena nodded slowly while wondering how Ayana could have possibly known it. Perhaps the ancient witch had been psychic, or had psychic tendencies like Bonnie and had foreseen her pregnancy a thousand years ago, or maybe the spirits told her about it.

"Kol's going to leave in the morning for New Orleans," she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Getting Bonnie's help is definitely out of the question, but he seems to think he'll be able to find a witch in the city who can help get the spell book."

"Or he'll pick one up on the way down," Elijah closed the grimoire and set it on a table inside the door. "Was there anything else, Elena?"

She bit her lip and nodded. There was one more thing and she had a feeling only he would answer the question. Google translate had failed her.

"Yes," she took a step closer and felt the heat from his body, "you called me something, elskede, and I've been looking and looking and I can't figure out what it means. I don't even know what language it is."

Her eyes narrowed when a flush crept up his neck.

"Elijah?"

"It's old Norse," he admitted quietly, "the language I grew up speaking."

"What does it mean?" She nodded; having figured it was something of the sort. She saw the hesitation in her eyes.

"Elena…" his hands came to rest on her hips. He felt a shiver race down her spine; the smell of her arousal strengthened.

"Elijah," her palms flattened over his chest. Her body was begging for his touch. "Please tell me."

"It means 'beloved'," he murmured while staring into her shifting eyes.

His voice was almost too quiet for her human ears to pick up, but she caught the three syllables. 'Beloved', he had called her 'beloved', and it hadn't just been in the throes of passion. Unlike his brothers, who threw around 'love', 'sweetheart', and 'darling with ease, a term of endearment such as this one meant something coming from Elijah.

Her hands slipped up and looped around his neck. Slowly she pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

He hesitated before responding in case she decided to pull back, but his self-control only went so far where Elena Gilbert was concerned.

His lips moved in time with hers. It was a timeless dance that they both knew.

Her tongue made a soft sweep of his lower lip before she nibbled on the smooth flesh. She made a pleased sound in the back of her throat when his strong hands drew her closer, close enough for her to feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

Eventually she had to break the kiss to breathe, but through her heaving breaths she pressed soft pecks to his lips.

In spite of the extreme arousal she felt, and the desire percolating between them, it wasn't lust in her eyes. It wasn't a look of hunger or longing, though those emotions were present too, it was a look of devotion. For the first time since she'd accepted the offer to stay at the mansion she didn't feel homesick because there in his arms she was home.

He had long since erected walls around his heart, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

His tongue poked out to whet his lips and Elena shivered.

"Would I be out of line if I did that again?"

"Not at all," she shook her head and smiled. She was still smiling when he kissed her.

"Get a room."

Elena glanced over her shoulder to where Klaus was rolling his eyes behind them. She tilted her head and flashed him a small smirk.

"Alright."

Elijah smirked when she pushed him backwards and slammed the door. The first kiss could hardly be considered a kiss though; it was closer to laughter than anything else. But by the time her back was pressed into the wood of his bedroom door they had transitioned to steady kissing, and when they tumbled onto the bed his lips were marking a wet trail down her throat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an ELEJAH shipper through and through everybody.
> 
> There will definitely be two chapters for December. I know I was only going to do one, but I thought Christmas and New Years Eve should have their own chapter because a lot is going to happen in those few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.
> 
> Thank you to everybody who has left a review so far. Each and everyone makes my heart sing, and one even inspired a second part to December's chapter.
> 
> I thought I'd add in the number of weeks of Elena's pregnancy from now on.
> 
> This chapter features some SMUT, a slightly more active Jeremy, the return of Stefan, a new acquaintance, and a dash of Stebekah.
> 
> Also in this time line Finn is alive, but he's still in his coffin. Basically Klaus woke his other siblings because he was starting to feel a little lonely and wanted them back, but he always did consider Finn a bore, and part of him fears the reaction he would get for waking him after 900 years, the other part thinks his self-loathing big brother is happier unaware of the passing years.

December 21 – 13 Weeks

* * *

She stepped into the backroom of the archive building and wondered how anyone ever got anything accomplished between the narrow shelves and tall filing cabinets. The area wasn't overly inspiring, but she supposed archive rooms weren't meant to be; it was a shame really that people were so willing to overlook the past and shove it in a dark forgotten corner.

She squeezed through the path created by two close shelves. The tip of her finger trailed across the spines of several leather volumes; she didn't recognize the mistake until the last ledger in the row tipped over and sent a cloud of dust to float in front of her face.

Even if he hadn't heard the book fall he would have definitely heard her sneeze. Wiggling her nose she felt a familiar presence behind her and turned around.

She heaved an exasperated sigh and rolled her shoulders back.

"Was I at least doing a good job of sneaking up on you before I sneezed?" Her shoulder bag bumped into the shelf and tipped over another book.

She backed into the shelves when he advanced and tipped her head up. A well-known shiver began at the back of her neck and traveled the length of her spine.

"You are incapable of taking me by surprise," he braced his hands on the shelves by her ribs. "I sensed you the moment you walked through the door."

He gave a pointed look to her stomach.

"You've also got three hearts beating in your body at the moment," he smirked, "and that is a rather distinctive sound."

She tilted her head and regarded him with amusement.

"That could have been any pregnant woman having twins."

"No," he shook his head. The teasing smile fell away to be replaced with a look of utter sincerity. "I know you, elskede. I could pick you out of a lineup as people say."

"I should think so," she cocked an eyebrow, "after seeing my face so many times."

"When I said a lineup I meant one of doppelgangers," he searched her dark eyes. Leaning down so her hair tickled his nose, he murmured against the shell of her ear. "I can feel that light inside of you whenever you're near," he took her hand and placed it over his heart, "and it's something none of the others ever possessed."

He nibbled shell of her ear and started pressing kisses to her throat.

"Are you attempting to seduce me?" She felt the strap of the bag slide down her arm and heard it hit the floor with a muffled thump. Biting her lip she slipped her hand under his jacket and slid the other up to grasp the back of his neck.

He inhaled the scent of her hypnotic blood and dropped his right hand to her waist. His fingers slowly slid between her legs and felt the warmth through her yoga pants. He bit back his groan when she pressed down against his hand.

"From the smell of you I'd say you were trying to seduce me," he chuckled and nipped at her fluttering pulse.

Elena felt a twisting sensation in her abdomen and exhaled in a rush. Shifting her hips she felt him harden against her hip. She'd never put much thought into sex in public, but the thought of sinking to her knees between the narrow shelves and watching him come undone outside the confines of the bedroom made heat pool in her abdomen.

"I can see its working." Her hands moved around to his chest. Using the shelf behind her as a brace she pushed him into the opposite one and reached for his belt.

He tipped up her chin and caught her lips in a deep kiss. His tongue slipped into her mouth imitating the motions he longed to recreate between her legs.

Elena's fingers made quick work of his pants and dipped beneath the band of his boxers. With a firm stroke, just the way she knew he liked it; from base to tip she heard his choked growl and broke the kiss to brush her lips lightly along his jaw.

He was over a thousand years old and in no way inexperienced in the ways of love and lust. He was a master of self-control. He was one of the most feared vampires in existence, but in her hands he felt like he had been reduced to a teenage boy.

Watching her sink to her knees with a playful wink did nothing for his slipping self-control. The feel of her tongue tracing the vein on the underside of his cock made his breath hitch.

"Elena," his warning was more of a moan. "Fuck…"

She wrapped her full lips around the head and sucked. She pressed the tip of her tongue to the sensitive skin just below the tip of his cock and smirked when he threw his head back; it was clear from the way he bit his lip that he was struggling to not make a sound and alert the nosy secretary from coming to investigate.

She sank down slowly taking him further into the warmth of her mouth until the tip of his cock began to enter her throat. She relaxed the muscles as much as she could and swallowed around him.

She had taken him down her throat before and knew the way he reacted. She wondered if he knew his growled expletives were in a foreign language; it didn't matter though. She didn't need to know the words falling from his lips because the inflection made it clear he was more than pleased with the way her throat constricted tightly around his cock.

She wasted little time before pulling back and bobbing up and down; every once in a while she would take him into her throat again. She knew when his hand wrapped around her ponytail it was a matter of moments before it would happen.

She made to renew her efforts and pouted when he pulled her off of him. His cock fell from her lips with a wet pop and stood at attention. A beam of sunlight filtered through a high window and made the saliva on his hard cock glisten.

She gasped when he gave her a hard kiss and felt the shelf dig into her shoulders. Her lips parted for his tongue's exploration of her mouth and he swallowed her moan.

Elijah ran his hands from her neck down her torso pausing at her breasts with a frown.

"Did you forget something, Elena?" His thumbs flicked her hard nipples through her loose t-shirt that he suddenly realized was his.

"That's not all I forgot," she breathed. She bit her lip and watched him hook his thumbs into the waist of her pants.

He lifted her out of her pants and smirked while guiding his hard cock into the warmth of her soaking wet pussy. He braced her upper body against the shelves and began to thrust into her lithe body.

Elena arched her neck and bit down on her cheek to keep from crying out. She knew her hormones were responsible for her increased libido, but she was fairly certain the speed with which she approached her orgasm had more to do with the thought that they could be caught at any moment; the rattling shelves were sure to be noticed.

Her fingers grasped the soft hair at the back of his head and pulled while trying to communicate without opening her mouth what she needed… just a little more. She needed just a little more pressure, a little more speed, a little more suction on her neck, to push her over the edge.

He felt her thighs begin to tremble around his waist and brought his hand between their rocking bodies to flick her engorged clit while he renewed his efforts and left a series of love bites on the column of her throat that he would admire later.

Elena cried out his name and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck desperate for something to hold onto when her bones turned to liquid. She felt him lose his rhythm and moaned as his hips snapped upwards.

"Elena," he growled. Buried in her body he fell apart and felt her second, gushing orgasm wash over her. The heavenly smelling juices dripped onto the top of his dress pants that had never made it below his thighs.

Elena clung to his arms when he lowered her to the floor and drew in shaky breaths as she finished coming down. She frowned when he let go of her and bent to retrieve her pants. Her muscles still shook from her orgasm but she managed to make her legs work long enough to slip back into the material. She realized why he had let her go while he tucked himself back into his slacks and fastened his belt.

Mrs. Arundel, the keeper of the archives, was standing at the other end of the shelves. She was looking over at the tables and hadn't seen them yet.

Elijah made sure the woman was looking the other way before picking up Elena's bag and wrapping an arm around her waist.

She gasped as the room blurred and she found herself surrounded by artifacts being catalogued in a storeroom.

"Next time you do that," she took his hand, "warn me first."

"I would have," he smirked, "but I thought she might hear."

Elena giggled and walked with him outside into the afternoon sun. It wouldn't be long before the moon rose and another day faded away: one day closer to meeting her children.

She only let go of his hand when he opened the passenger side door of his BMW.

"Did you find anything?" She fastened her seatbelt and twisted to face him.

"You mean aside from a cheeky brunette wearing my shirt and no underwear?" He pulled the car onto the road with a chuckle and directed them out of the center of town.

"The cheeky brunette found you," her eyes sparkled.

"That's true," he agreed. Lowering his right hand from the wheel he threaded his fingers between hers. "In the last week I've looked through every public record related to lumber and come up empty. There is no mention of a white oak tree. Which means it was either cut down by a private company, or we misread the cave?"

Elena's thumb moved back and forth over his knuckle.

"Do you think we misread the drawings?" A certainty resounded through her body; she knew the tree existed.

"No I don't," he inhaled deeply. "I don't know where it could be, I don't know what company could have cut it down, but I know something you can answer for me."

"I don't think I can tell you where the wood wound up," Elena watched the road. A spinning sensation took over her abdomen when they passed the still closed Wickery Bridge; it was scheduled to reopen in two days' time with a new sign given by the High School. She didn't know why her eyes darted to the pile of rotting wood that had been stripped from the underside; it was the first time in a hundred years the bridge had needed repairs.

"Maybe not," Elijah's voice drew her attention from the fading image in the mirror, "but you can tell me why you're wearing my shirt and no bra or panties."

His teasing tone brought a flush to her cheeks.

"My bras are all too tight, and I… uh…" she pressed her free hand to her stomach and shrugged. "I appear to have popped."

"You've 'popped'?" A line appeared between Elijah's brows. He parked the car in the driveway and turned to look at her.

"Yup," she popped the 'p'. Unfastening her seatbelt she lifted the hem of his shirt and pointed to the bulge between her hips. Her stomach had popped out in a noticeable bump. "You left early this morning and when I stood up it was there."

He placed his hand on her rounded stomach and felt the faintest vibrations that he took to be the twins' hearts beating. He had noticed the subtle shifting of her body, but it appeared between the time they had fallen asleep the previous night and woken up she had developed a bump.

"Your own shirt wouldn't fit?" He tried not to smile at the thought, but the sight of her growing belly elated him.

"It did," she smiled, "but it would have made it very clear that I'm pregnant. I thought I'd wait to feed the gossips until the New Year after I've had a chance to get some actual maternity clothes."

"Christmas is such a lovely time for shopping," he chuckled.

"I thought I'd ask Rebekah and Caroline to join me," she lowered the shirt and reached for the door.

He was around the vehicle and opening her door before she could pull the handle. Offering her a hand he tilted his head and smiled.

"I can't speak for Caroline," he brought her hand to his lips, "but I'm sure Rebekah would enjoy a shopping trip."

* * *

He glanced down at the address again before lifting his eyes to the red brick historic townhouse. Heavy oak doors were framed by a marble archway at the top of a wrought-iron staircase; it was the correct place, but why the family had left New Orleans was beyond him.

He supposed it didn't really matter. Whatever descendent opened the door would have magic enough when they reached the city and he could coach them through the spell to open the tomb.

He took the steps two at a time and made use of the gold door knocker. He heard the resounding sound throughout the house and what sounded like a very annoyed groan.

The door opened a moment later revealing a slim woman. He thought it rather impressive the way she seemed to tower over him at the great height of five foot three.

"That is an antique knocker," she pointed to the gold. Fire flashed in her emerald eyes.

"I can tell," he leaned closer to inspect it, "but in my experience such things are not decorative, and the wood looked rather delicate."

"I've got an intercom," she crossed her arms.

"A what?"

His genuine confusion took her by surprise. She stepped up to the threshold and pointed to the grey box attached to the otherwise flawless archway.

Reaching out he pushed the button and jumped when he heard an annoying buzz inside the house. The reaction had been similar to a doorbell, but why any bell would make such a noise was beyond his comprehension.

"Who are you?" She leaned back on her heels as if suddenly remembering that there was a strange man on her doorstep. Aside from a folded piece of paper his hands were empty so she knew he wasn't selling anything. "What do you want?"

"Terribly sorry, darling," he pressed his hand to his heart, "I appear to have forgotten my manners. I'm looking for Alexander d'Ambry."

A line appeared between her golden eyebrows. She looked him over slowly, trying to figure out how this man, who couldn't have been more than a year older than she was, knew that name. Why had he said it as if he expected him to be somewhere in the house?

"There's nobody hear by that name."

"Really?"

She watched him step as close to the door as he could without actually entering the house. A shiver raced down her spine when she tipped her head back to meet his dark eyes and pressed her lips together.

"Because I have it on good authority that this house is in his name, and his name was never removed from the deed," he flipped open the photocopy in his hands.

"The house was left to me, I'll have to take care of this," she reached for the deed with the intention of snatching it from his hand. Her fingers brushed the back of his hand and an electric jolt raced up her arm.

His eyes dropped to his hand that was still tingling from her touch. He curled his fingers into a loose fist and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in a gesture he hadn't made in centuries.

He mentally shook himself and cleared his thoughts.

"You're family then?" He waited for her nod. "I was hoping for Alexander, we had a bit of a rapport, but I suppose you'll do."

Her eyes snapped up from the paper in her hand.

"You had a rapport with my great-grandfather?" She cocked an eyebrow. "The man died when I was two; he was a hundred and one."

"He made it that long this far from New Orleans?" His brows shot up. "Good for him; he always was a survivor that one."

"You're talking like you knew him," she folded the paper with her address and tucked it in her back pocket.

He tilted his head and searched her eyes.

"How much do you know about your family, love?"

She straightened her spine and crossed her arms over her chest. There were many things she knew about her family tree, but the stranger had mentioned New Orleans which gave her a pretty decent idea of what he was fishing for.

"I know what that ring is for," her eyes dropped to his hand, "and I know why you haven't set a foot in my house."

"Manners?" He smirked.

"Because you can't," she stated. "Now tell me who you are and why you're standing on my stoop."

She tilted her head and tapped her foot impatiently while attempting to keep her annoyed expression. It was easier when his lips lifted in a smirk that she just knew was common place on his face; it looked right.

He held out his hand and chuckled when he was stopped by the threshold.

"My name is Kol Mikaelson," he nodded, "and I find myself in need of help that someone from your family can provide. Can you tell me though, how it is that you know of my ring and magic having grown up far from the home of your ancestors?"

She clicked her tongue and considered. His name sounded familiar, like one mentioned in passing around the dinner table.

"He left New Orleans and met my great grandmother," she held out her hands, "she was born in this house: a witch. From what I understand she taught him how to utilize nature, but his magic was never the same."

Kol nodded slowly as the picture formed.

"Their children were brought up in her coven."

"Yes," she nodded.

"So what do you say Miss d'Ambry?" Kol inhaled slowly. There was something intoxicating about her, a combination of lavender and honey that made him want to take a step closer. "I need the help of a witch; the job comes with an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans."

"Ricci," she cleared her throat, "my last name's Ricci." Tilting her head she fought down the sudden urge she had to say yes; she had next to no information. "What would I have to do?"

"I just need you to open a door," he explained, "one that was sealed a century ago with ancestral magic."

She knew better than to trust a vampire, or offer one aid, but there was something in his eyes that made her want to help. Underneath the overconfidence brought on by countless years there was a quiet desperation, a need to know something that only a witch could provide the answers for.

Against her better judgement she held out her hand for him to shake.

"Since we'll be spending the next few days together might I be granted the privilege of your name?" He raised his brows hopefully.

"Lexa."

"Well," he brought her hand up to brush his lips along her knuckles, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Lexa Ricci."

He held her hand a moment longer than necessary causing her tingling skin to grow warm. Clearing her throat she reclaimed her hand and took a step back into the warmth of the house that suddenly felt cold.

"How long will I be gone?" She mentally crossed her fingers and hoped for a few weeks at least. Christmas was a difficult time to be alone in the house without her family; it always had been.

"New Orleans should only take a couple of days, but I could also use your aid in Mystic Falls. There is a grimoire I'll need to retrieve and then a spell I would like you to perform on a friend of mine. I would think a week at the very least."

"I'll just go and pack a bag," she glanced over her shoulder when he stepped inside and shut the door. "I didn't…"

"I know," he smirked, "but this house is in the name of your dead great-grandfather. It was actually manners keeping me on your doorstep."

"You could have waited for me to let you in," she rolled her eyes.

"You weren't going to do that," he snickered, "and it's rather cold out today. Don't worry, love, I'll wait right here."

* * *

It was a stupid plan and she was definitely going to kill him when she found out what he was doing, but that didn't stop him from slipping the spare key she had never gotten around to returning into the lock. It didn't stop him from entering the house.

He crossed his fingers and hoped the information he wanted would be easy to find.

He found the study easily enough and opened the glass cabinet that held the private ledgers. His eyes quickly found the space where several tomes were missing. Glancing over his shoulder he spotted a heavy book lying open on the desk.

He was flipping through the pages when he heard the door open, but a single word stuck out on the page. Pulling out his phone he snapped a photograph and tucked his phone away.

"Who are you?"

His eyes snapped up to the middle aged woman with blonde hair. From the description he had gotten he knew this was Esther Mikaelson.

"Jeremy," he cleared his throat. "Who are you?"

She tilted her head and didn't answer his question. Instead her eyes dropped to the ledger open on the desk; it was the latest one that her young allies were searching through.

"What are you doing here?" She started towards him slowly.

"Looking for…"

"Something?" Esther's eyes flashed.

Jeremy heard the door open again and nodded towards the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Someone."

"Baby Gilbert," Damon stepped into the study and froze. His eyes raked over Jeremy suspiciously, "what are you doing here?"

Jeremy reached into his pocket and extracted the spare key.

"Returning this," he threw the bit of silver towards the vampire, "I'm rather sick of looking at whenever I go out the front door."

"Elena could have returned this," Damon turned the key over.

"Elena's not gonna come within fifty feet of you," Jeremy slammed the ledger shut, "after you tried to kill her babies."

He circled around Damon and left the house walking down the driveway and opening the picture he had snapped. His eyes grew round when he made it to the end of the gravel path.

* * *

"That young man knows Elena?" Esther watched Damon flip open the heavy book.

"He's her brother," Damon scowled. Jeremy had lost his page when he slammed the book shut.

It took him two hours to find his place and then locate the page Jeremy had been reading.

* * *

 _Yup,_  he watched the flames grow higher and winced when they caught on a nearby tree,  _definitely a bad idea._

He jogged along the pavement and watched the fire lick at the pile on the ground. Pulling out his phone he dialed 911 and made the fastest report he could before hanging up and turning around.

He jumped when a car came to a stop right behind him.

"Shit," he swore loudly.

"Need a lift?" The window rolled down. "This doesn't look like the safest place for you at the moment."

He rolled his eyes and slid into the car.

"What's that smell?"

"You're a vampire," he sighed, "and know exactly what that smell is."

* * *

Elena looked over her shoulder from where she was tossing a salad. Elijah had frozen in place by the stove with his head cocked to the side.

"Elijah?"

He turned off the burners and plated the grilled chicken. In the distance he heard the sound disappearing.

"What is it?" She carried the salad bowl to the table.

"Sirens," he pressed a kiss to her temple, "sounds like a fire truck."

No sooner had he said it then there was a knock on the door. She went with Elijah to the door and just held in her delighted squeal when she saw Klaus opening it.

"Jer," she hurried the rest of the way. "What are you doing here?" She was about to throw her arms around his neck when she smelt him; her nose wrinkled as she backed up. "And why do you smell like gasoline?"

"You'd think he'd get a better welcome after burning the last of the white oak in town," Stefan drawled.

"Stefan," Elijah greeted, "what are you doing here?"

"And what are you talking about?" Klaus looked between his friend and Elena's little brother.

Jeremy pulled up the picture on his phone and passed it to Elijah. He briefly explained the situation.

"I went to the Boarding House tonight and did a little snooping," he grimaced when he raked his hands through his hair and got a fresh whiff of the gas. "In 1912 the Salvatore Mill provided most of the wood to help build up the town, and their largest sale came from a great White Oak that was used for the underpinnings of Wickery Bridge."

"The underpinnings that were ripped down for repairs," Stefan crossed his arms. "I picked him up twenty feet from the fire that I'm assuming he set."

"And you knew he'd be there because…" Caroline came out of the study where she had been reading the last of the public records with Rebekah.

"Because I decided to go home and overheard their mother and Damon discussing the page Jeremy really should have tossed in the fireplace."

"That would have looked suspicious," Jeremy cocked an eyebrow.

"It still looked suspicious," Stefan rolled his eyes. "I took off for the bridge and was planning on taking Jeremy home, but Damon had flashed to the bridge and saw the fire."

"Let me guess," Klaus sighed, "your idiot brother was at the Gilbert house waiting to unleash some form of retribution."

Neither of them said anything but their expressions said enough.

"Well," Klaus sighed as if it were the greatest imposition in the world, "it appears we have another house guest."

"At least all of the white oak is gone," Rebekah nodded. A sense of relief washed over her, but she didn't fail to notice the stiffening of Elena and Caroline's shoulders.

"No it's not," Caroline tucked her hair behind her ears, "the sign was made from the refurbished wood." She bristled under the sudden gaze of the Originals. "Don't look at me like that; I didn't suggest using it."

"I don't suppose you burned the sign as well, Jeremy?" Elijah settled his hand on the small of Elena's back and watched as the tension in her shoulders eased a bit. His anxiety grew when Jeremy shook his head with a horrified look. "Where is the sign now?"

* * *

Rebekah's heels clicked on the tiles of the school. Her eyes found Stefan as he worked on picking the lock.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it will look bad if the lock is broken," he glanced up at her and smirked.

"Not that," Rebekah's brows lowered. "Why are you helping at all? What were you really doing at the bridge?"

"I went to the bridge to burn the wood," Stefan exhaled when the lock clicked open. "As it happened Jeremy beat me to the job."

"But why?" Rebekah followed him into the woodshop and started looking over every surface. Half-finished projects littered the counters, piles of shavings gathered in random spots on the floor, and a box of nails spilled across a workbench. "Why are you helping at all? Why'd you help Elena?"

"Damon wanted to kill her babies," Stefan started flipping through blocks of wood, "because he's convinced they're evil."

"Do you think they're evil?" She paused her rummaging.

"No," he shook his head, "they're just babies. If you ask me Damon's jealous, and blinded by his hatred for your family. He's disliked all of you on principle since the first time we met Elijah."

"What about you?"

"I don't hate you," Stefan pulled open a cupboard.

Rebekah opened a door leading into a smaller work area and checked the tables inside. She didn't want him to see the way she had smiled when he said it.

"You didn't answer my question." She resisted the urge to kick the cupboard door.

"Which one?" Stefan called from the closet.

"Why you're helping look for the wood? Why you were going to burn the scraps from the bridge?"

Stefan flashed into the workroom where Rebekah stood staring at a diagram for a birdhouse. He heard her breath hitch when he stopped a foot in front of her. How could he explain the way his heart clenched when he thought of the wood penetrating her chest?

"I don't want you to die," he met her blue eyes in the dark.

"You don't…" Rebekah trailed off.

"I don't want you to die," he took a step toward her. On impulse he lifted his hand and tucked a curl behind her ear in a gesture that was familiar to both; it was one he had made many times in the twenties. He knew it was ridiculous to feel the overwhelming desire to protect an Original vampire capable of crushing him with her little finger, but he did. Even before remembering who she was to him he had wanted to protect her; it had physically hurt him to play a hand in her daggering, but Damon had handed her over to Klaus to quickly for him to do what he wanted and pull the blade free.

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep you alive," he murmured.

"I think you're going to have a hard time with that," she breathed, "the sign's not here. It would appear your prick of a brother has beaten us to the punch, and he'll have the sign hidden away where none of us can get to it."

"He hasn't had that much time," Stefan shook his head, "it's probably at the Boarding House. I'll go and look; with any luck Damon won't suspect a thing."

Rebekah caught his hand before he could pull away. Stefan's eyes widened before closing when she pressed a soft kiss to his lips; it was nothing he would have described as overly passionate, or arousing, but there was a concealed emotion behind her kiss, and flickering in her eyes when she pulled back.

"Don't," she breathed, "don't go alone." She doubted Damon would go so far as to kill his own brother, but she didn't trust her mother. Her mother wanted to kill her own children, and was likely only working with Damon and Bonnie to meet her goal.

"Bekah…"

"I don't want you to die."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is probably going to be longer than 10 chapters now. Partly because December has a lot happening, and partly because I don't want to end the month because I know what's coming.


	6. Chapter 6

December 23

* * *

With her tongue pressed to the inside of her cheek she rocked back and forth. There was something different in the air, something strange beneath her feet; it rushed into her body forcefully leaving behind a profound sense of ecstasy. The feeling was euphoric; it was exquisite power that she had never dared to dream of.

"What is that?" She rubbed at the goosebumps rising on her forearms.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. The rapture of her voice and the gleam in her eyes told him exactly what she was feeling; he longed for that feeling again.

"That's magic, darling," he stepped closer and looked down into her glowing green eyes.

She wasn't a smoker. She didn't drink. She had never tried drugs. But she imagined that this what the high felt like, and if it was she could understand the appeal, the need to seek out that sweet ambrosia. Closing her eyes and tipping her head back she could practically taste it in the air.

"Why is there so much? I've never…" Her breath caught. As her eyes fluttered open she caught the sheer longing in his gaze and found herself powerless to look away.

"You've never felt this before," he finished in a breath of air. He hadn't felt the rush of magic in his veins for a thousand years, but he could practically see it jumping off her skin in tiny sparks.

Would he feel it if he were to touch her?

"No," Lexa bit her lip, "I have power… I've always had more than my share of it, but…"

He shifted so he was in front of her and saw her eyes flicker back and forth searching him for something. Perhaps it was answers.

"It's the city, darling," he leaned closer, "New Orleans is the home of your ancestors, as a member of the d'Ambry family of witches you can draw on the power of your ancestors and those of the other eight covens in the city."

"When I first saw you I didn't realize you were his descendent," Kol tilted his head.

A line appeared between her brows when he frowned.

"It's not like you could have known," she blinked up.

"If you'd been brought up in this city I would have," he inhaled slowly. His hand came up quickly, the tips of his finger ghosting beneath her right eye tracing the skin. "At the very least I would have known your coven. As part of the initiation ritual of the Kindred they scar their members. Two lines etched into the cheek."

She shivered at his near touch.

"That's barbaric; did they really do that?"

"They probably still do," Kol cleared his throat and took a step back.

The pair lapsed into silence as they continued along their path to the cemetery. The wrought iron gate loomed overhead when he asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd picked her up in Baltimore.

"Why'd you come? Why did you say yes to a vampire who showed up and asked you to go away; before Christmas at that? Shouldn't you want to spend the holidays with your family?"

She stared up at the white letters spelling out the name of the cemetery in blocks. Beyond there were dozens of graves bearing her family name, and many more containing extended family that she had never met.

"It's just me," her voice was little more than a whisper. "My grandfather went down in the Second World War; my parents were in a car crash when I was nine with my little brother."

"I'm sorry," he rubbed his jaw. "I can't say I'd mourn my own parents, but I know what it is to lose a younger brother."

"You wouldn't mourn your parents?" She cocked an eyebrow. Pivoting on her heel she took a backwards step into the maintained grounds.

"Not as I would have," he admitted.

"Why?" She tilted her head. At nine years old she had thought her world was ending. They had said they were going to take Leo to his swimming lesson and be right back, for years she hadn't trusted another adult who said they were coming back; she had been afraid, every time her aunt would leave the room, that she'd never see her again.

He rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled in a rush. Surprisingly there was no judgement in her eyes, only curiosity.

"It's a long story."

"How about just the cliff notes?"

"The what?" His brow furrowed.

"Have you been living under a rock?" She giggled. Amusement flashed in her eyes.

"No, darling," he smirked, "I've been sleeping in a coffin; held in place by a mystical dagger."

Her mirth faded quickly.

"What are the 'cliff notes'?" He prompted with a small smile in an attempt to indicate that it was alright and she didn't have to respond to the tidbit of information he probably shouldn't have told her anyway.

"It just means the short version of the story," Lexa swallowed.

"It's not a pretty tale, love."

"That was a given," she rolled her eyes, "when you said you wouldn't mourn them."

"I don't know what your parents were like, but mine were a bit… excessive," he smirked. "My mother made me what I am in a twisted attempt to protect my siblings and I; immediately regretting what she had done, she turned my father into something stronger, a hunter, and he chased us for a very long time attempting to kill my brother."

"Not all of you?" Lexa stepped closer. Her fingers twitched to smooth out the wrinkle between his brows.

"He might have killed us to get to my brother, but his anger was primarily on him." Kol took a deep breath. "He still terrorized us all, and my mother, as I've just recently been informed is out to kill us all. She returned from the grave and admitted as much."

* * *

Her footsteps were quick, tapping out an adamant beat against the stone path. He was supposed to have gone with her all the way to the tomb to collect the books, but for some reason he was unable to enter the grounds. He couldn't pass the gate, and so had provided her with directions.

The directions that took her farther and farther from the gate, into the oldest part of the cemetery, where the massive mausoleums were discoloured from age, covered in vines, and littered with half burnt white candles.

His directions were clear. It only took her ten minutes to find the tomb; waning sunlight illuminated the etched letters spelling out the family name: Gatreaux.

Pressing her hands to the cold stone she felt the magic in the air shift before flowing through her in a rush of energy. The combined power of nature and her ancestors made her dizzy.

"Ég bindast ekki med a fòs min sbor na veshtitsi."

She repeated the incantation three times, each time she increased the level of magic she channeled until a soft click sounded. A broad smile lifted her lips as she pushed the door inwards and descended a darkened staircase. With a wave of her hand she lit the candles he had told her would be inside and felt the air rush from her lungs.

Dozens of mystical objects lined a series of wooden shelves. Colourful bottles filled with various liquids were arranged on tables in a way reminiscent of her high school chemistry labs, and the books…

The books were everywhere.

"A couple," she scoffed, "more like a couple dozen."

Locating a wooden crate she removed the bottles of ingredients and bags of sand before filling it with every grimoire she could find. He'd said it would be on one of the tables, but in spite of the tomb's dusty appearance it was clear someone had straightened up. She just crossed her fingers and prayed the book he was looking for was one of the two dozen she collected.

With a murmured spell to lighten the weight of the box she extinguished the candles and left the room.

* * *

Kol played with his cell phone, turning it over and over between his fingers. There wasn't much else to do while he waited.

The sudden appearance of three men who could only be vampires took him by surprise. He slunk back into the shadows and listened to their conversation as they began looking around frantically.

"She's obviously not here yet, man," the shorter of the men laughed.

"Yeah," the taller one agreed. "He said she was practicing inside the cemetery. Relax Tomas, we'll catch the witch when she leaves; it's not like she can stay in there forever."

"Assuming she's got any brains she went in their prepared to stay awhile," Tomas growled.

"And why would that be?" Kol stepped out of the shadows and straightened slid his hands into his pockets. He wanted to appear as unthreatening as possible. "For what purpose are you gentlemen seeking a witch? Do you require a spell, perhaps?" He smiled.

"You're new," Tomas looked him up and down.

"I assure you, mate," Kol's smile turned to a dark smirk, "I'm not new. I'm very old actually. Now tell me why you lot are looking for a witch."

Tomas eyed Kol suspiciously. He had never seen the other vampire before in his life, but there was something behind his mild mannered expression, something wild in his dark eyes. Still, it was better if he knew the law.

"She's breaking the rules," the short vampire chuckled. "It's illegal for witches to practice magic in New Orleans; the ones that do are put to death."

The brisk steps of heeled boots drew their eyes to the cemetery.

Kol's heart leapt into his throat when he saw her green eyes on the crate of books in her hands.

"Somebody must have cleaned up because it wasn't…" Lexa trailed off when she saw the four men watching her, but her feet kept moving. The mistake was realized when she stepped out of the cemetery grounds.

A strong hand closed around her upper arm. Instinctively she let go of the box, raised her hands to protect her body and gasped as her back was pressed to the gate. Her eyes were still shut when the weight was torn from her body.

In the four seconds it took to pry her eyelids open there were several loud crashes, a dozen thumps, and three pained yelps. When she finally looked up it was to see Kol dropping a still warm heart onto the body of the vampire who had grabbed her first.

"Was that necessary?" She swallowed. Her eyes found the gaping holes in the chests of her attackers and their hearts several feet away.

"They were going to kill you," he dropped to his knees and replaced a few books that had fallen from the box.

"Why do you care?" She tilted her head and crossed her arms. Any sane person would have been terrified of the vampire, whose hand was covered in blood, but she wasn't; she was curious. "You have your books, and I'm sure you could find another witch to cast the other spell."

"I…" he stood up with a frown. Why did he care? He had never cared about anyone before; he hadn't cared, beyond his dysfunctional family, until he'd learned of Elena's condition. He cared about what happened to Elena, and now, apparently he cared about Lexa; she was wily and full of fire and curiosity. "I care."

"Why?" She couldn't stop the shiver that raced down her spine. The knowledge of how close she had come to death not moments before made her stomach tremble.

"Good witches are hard to find," he hoisted the box into his arms with a teasing smile, "and I still need you."

"Oh please," she scoffed, "every city has at least one witch who would willingly help a vampire. You don't need me."

"You're right," he placed his hand on her hip and steered her back through the street, "I don't need you, but I happen to like you."

"You like me?" She cocked an eyebrow.

He balanced the box on his hip and reached into his pocket for his keys heedless of the blood still coating his fingers. Unlocking the car he placed the box in the trunk and opened her door in a show of chivalry he was quickly learning was uncommon in the twenty-first century.

"I like you enough to not let you die."

She tucked a blond curl behind her ear and tipped her head back to look up at him, at six one he was nearly a foot taller than her; her heels helped but she still had to tip her neck back.

"I guess I've only got two things to say to that," she chewed her bottom lip, "thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," he nodded. Staring into her sparkling eyes he was struck with the knowledge that he would do it again in a heartbeat should she be in trouble. "What was the other thing?"

A mixture of amusement and annoyance flashed through her eyes. Twisting to the left she exposed her hip and pulled her top around.

"You ruined my shirt."

Kol's abdomen clenched when her elbow brushed his stomach. Looking down he saw the bloody handprint where he had taken her hip. He took a second to recover from the jolts running through his blood stream before smirking.

"I'll replace it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's shorter than the other chapters, but I'm breaking up the rest of December into single chapters for single days. Partly because I'm dreading New Years Eve.
> 
> Leave a review and let me know what you think.
> 
> Christmas Eve is coming up next and with it Kol's return to Mystic Falls, the paternity reveal and some cute Elejah and Stebekah as well as a check in with our villians.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.
> 
> Christmas Eve, a paternity reveal, a few new villains join the ranks.

December 24

* * *

"This is the spell?" Lexa looked up from the book in her lap.

The plane began its final descent and the air pressed in around her. Pressure began to build in her ears. Leaning forward she grabbed her purse and popped a stick of gum in her mouth.

"That is the spell," he nodded. Taking a slow breath he inhaled the sweet smell of mint.

She knew she should probably bite her tongue because the woman in question was his friend, but she couldn't resist the quip.

"And how many potential fathers are there? They'll need to be present for the spell."

"Only two, darling," he leaned back in his seat and watched her over his folded hands. She would find out soon enough anyway when the spell wrote worked. "My brother is already at the house, and I'll be arriving with you."

He had the pleasure of watching her turn red and choke on her sip of water. He waited patiently for her to regain her composure as the plane got closer and closer to the ground. When he spoke again it was when he was certain she wasn't going to keel over in shock.

"She is thirteen weeks along," he leaned closer and rubbed his hands together, "and carrying twins. We're all unsure of who fathered her children since both… it was within days of each other."

"Wh… how…"

"Very special circumstances," he chuckled, "ones we were unaware of from until she learned she was pregnant."

"And you and her…" She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the spell. It wasn't her business, but her curiosity was demanding answers.

"She's my friend, just my friend." He tilted his head and thought back on Elena. There was definite chemistry between them, but any fool – Damon Salvatore being the exception – could see she and Elijah were made for each other. If he'd seen them together before the bonfire he might have thought twice about taking her to bed.

"She and my brother are together now."

"Why are you telling me this?" A line appeared between her brows. His explanations were satisfying her need for knowledge but they both knew it wasn't something he had to give her.

"Some of it you needed to know," he breathed, "and some of them you probably would have asked after when you finished the spell."

"Trying to save her some potential embarrassment?" Lexa cocked an eyebrow. She could picture a potential outcome for them all, and it probably wasn't one any of them were expecting.

* * *

She fiddled with the buttons of her shirt; the top was made up of horizontal stripes that cut off below her breasts and turned into a denim button down tunic accentuating the slight bump. The new top combined with a pair of leggings made her more comfortable, clothed any way, than she had been in two weeks. She hadn't wanted to admit she was starting to show, that her clothes were getting too tight, but it was clear that she had been. She was growing, her body was changing, and if she kept up at the rate she was people were definitely going to know the first day back at school.

She wondered if it was because there were two babies; would she have been showing so soon if it were just one?

She had never put much stock in the opinions of others, not until the opinions of others began dictating her life, but she couldn't stop thinking about what people were going to say and do. She couldn't care less about her classmates; her mind was on her children's extended family.

Even putting aside the hybrid uncle with his homicidal tendencies, they still had a grandmother intent on killing all of her children. Jeremy had confirmed the matriarch knew of her pregnancy, but as far as she knew Esther was still unaware of the potential paternity of her children.

Would she come for her grandchildren next?

She was already under twenty-four hour guard, and suspected the only reason Elijah and Kol had agreed to her insistence that she return to school was because Rebekah was also enrolled and the Original sister was more than capable of protecting her from Damon should he have made an appearance. They would jump into over-drive if they thought their mother was coming for her, if they thought Esther suspected she was being guarded on the orders of anyone either than Klaus.

Her fingers stilled when a strong hand slid over her wrist and flattened her palm over her stomach. She traced the prominent veins with her eyes.

"Elijah," she sighed and leaned back into his chest.

Brushing her hair to fall down her back he pressed a soft kiss to her jaw and used his free hand to massage small circles at the base of her spine.

"Elena," he smiled softly when she shifted forward for his hand, "what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes and bit back her moan as his fingers worked out the knot that had been in her back since noon.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" She slid her hand along the back of her neck and pulled her hair over her left shoulder.

"Well," he moved his hand from her stomach to her back, "you're incredibly tense," his thumbs slowly worked upwards, "and until I touched you there was a far off look in your eyes."

Placing her elbow on the kitchen counter she slowly spun on her stool.

"I'm… I'm just a little…"  _freaked,_ "… worried. I think Klaus is rubbing off on me."

"He has been a little on edge," Elijah agreed, "with the sign still missing."

Klaus, Rebekah, Stefan and Jeremy had been looking high and low for the last bit of white oak in the world, but as of yet had come up empty handed. The more time passed the clearer it became that the sign was gone, and so were Damon, Bonnie and Esther.

"Is there any news on that?"

She smoothed down the lapels of his jacket; there was a sinking feeling in her stomach when she thought of the missing wood and looked at him. Something bad was going to happen, she could feel it in her bones.

He shook his head and could see the disappointment sag her shoulders. Stepping back he held out his hand.

"Come on," he carefully helped down.

"I'm not going to break," Elena smirked.

"I know that, elskede," tipping her chin up he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "I won't let you."

"I am fully capable of keeping myself in one piece." She crossed her arms and huffed with the most indignant expression she could manage, unfortunately the toe of her shoe caught on the edge of the table and she stumbled in an ill-timed trip that would have never happened under different circumstances.

The attempt to hold her indignation failed when he caught her and held her steady.

"You were saying?" Elijah's hands splayed over her hips; he could see her fighting down her smile.

"Don't you dare laugh," her hand shot up to cover his mouth, but her voice began to crack with amusement, "I'll have you know I haven't tripped over my feet since I was three."

"Until today," he bit back his smile. Taking her wrist he lowered her arm to her side.

Elena rolled her eyes. Elijah and Kol had been protective of her since she finding out she was pregnant, but Elijah had grown more so after she began to show. She could only imagine what it would be like when Kol returned.

"I believe you were taking me somewhere," she shook her head with a small smile.

"Yes," he directed her towards the door, "I thought you could use a little cheering up."

She eyed him suspiciously and followed him through the hall towards the living room. Voices reached her ears as they drew closer and closer, but it wasn't until they were just outside that she realized it was Klaus and Rebekah arguing about something.

Her mouth popped open when she stepped inside.

Klaus was brushing off his sleeves and glaring daggers at Rebekah and Caroline who were kneeling on the floor in front of boxes.

"Why is there a Christmas tree?" Elena giggled at the sight of Klaus covered in a layer of pine; it was clear he had been moving the tree around on the orders of Caroline and Rebekah.

"Because it's Christmas eve," Jeremy popped up from the other side of the fireplace. Strings of lights hung from his arms.

"I thought you might like to help decorate," Elijah squeezed her hand.

"It's been a few decades since we've had a family Christmas," Rebekah pulled the tissue paper from several brightly coloured glass balls. "The only one missing is Kol, and he should return within the next few hours."

"Yes," Klaus drawled, "the only thing left to do is detangle your brother from that string of lights."

"He does that every year," Elena covered her mouth with her hand as a lump formed in her throat.

* * *

"This place gives me the creeps," Damon shuddered.

"That would be the spirits of the witches who died here, Damon," Bonnie sighed.

"I know, Bon Bon," he scoffed. "We went over this the first time you tried to kill Klaus; a hundred men and women were burned to death on the grounds for the crime of being witches."

"Hysteria is a powerful emotion," Esther murmured, "dark and dangerous; a single whisper of it can ruin lives and alter the very course of history."

He paced in front of the fireplace and eyed the remnants of the sign. The name of the bridge was indistinguishable after being cut into five pieces; a puzzle that would never be put back together laid out on the table.

"What are we waiting around for?" He hefted one of the pieces of wood. "We could have easily made a dozen stakes and been done with this by now."

"We are waiting," Esther took the white oak and placed it down again, "because we do not have the combined strength to do this job alone. My son was able to kill me within days of turning, Miss Bennett was only capable of weakening Niklaus when he was already in a weakened state; even then she failed because she still required the assistance of Elijah who sided with his younger brother at the last moment."

"We need help," Bonnie crossed her arms.

"I staked Elijah once, I can do it again." Damon gloated. "We don't need any help."

Bonnie looked him over with barely concealed annoyance; he was exceedingly arrogant.

"You only succeeded because Elena took him by surprise, weakening him with vervain, and Stefan helped you," she leaned against the wall. "Elijah won't make that mistake again. He's over a thousand years old, Damon, they all are. You cannot take them; especially now that they're standing together."

"Then who can?"

Before either witch could answer them there was a knock on the door. The resounding bang echoed through the run down building.

Esther opened the door with a wave of her hand and offered a tight smile in greeting to the man who entered; he wore a black suit with a purple shirt and patterned tie. Two women followed him inside prompting Damon to groan.

"Her?" He gestured to the brunette disdainfully. "How the hell is she supposed to be any better than me? They're all twice her age."

"What I lack in strength I make up for with my superior wit and sparkling personality." She turned her attention to Bonnie and Esther, holding up a crumpled slip of paper. "I'm assuming you sent this."

Bonnie nodded. She hoisted a chunk of the sign and tossed it through the air for the woman to catch. She repeated the action twice more, once to the suited man and once to the other woman; her eyes put Bonnie in mind of a viper.

"What you're holding is the last white oak in the world," she watched them inspecting the wood, "the only thing capable of killing an Original vampire. You can fashion it into whatever weapon you prefer, so long as you use it to kill one or more."

"Why us?" The man turned the block of wood over in his hands; already he was imagining the many ways he could use it. For centuries he had dreamed of killing his sire, and now the means to do so was literally in his hands.

"Because you're old," Esther looked between the trio, "and each of you holds a grudge against one or more. You have the physical strength to overpower them."

* * *

She stared up at the home that could only be described as a sprawling mansion. The white siding glowed in the moonlight, and warm light spilled from several of the windows.

"I thought my house was big."

"It has to be huge," Kol shrugged. "My siblings and I need plenty of space to spread out otherwise we're likely to try and kill each other."

"Bit of a turbulent relationship?" She followed him up the stone steps.

"You could say that," he opened the door.

She watched him after he shut the door. He tilted his head to the left and listened for sounds she couldn't hear before leading her through the house. Her heels clicked over the marble tiles all the way to the living room where voices began to reach her. Her eyes kept darting from side to side admiring the crystal vases, gothic architecture, and oil paintings; she felt like she was in a museum until stepping into a spacious living room where a small group of people were.

A man with curly blonde hair stood with a slim blonde and together they were stringing a garland around the boughs of a seven foot tree. Another blonde with straight hair was hanging red and gold ornaments with a boy who Lexa thought must be much older than he looked.

The last three were on the other side of the room. One of the men looked to be about her age or younger, and was clearly related to the woman sitting on the loveseat which he was leaning over. Her legs had been lifted into the lap of a man who looked very much like Kol.

"Was anyone going to tell me we were celebrating Christmas this year?" Kol cleared his throat. "I would have gotten presents."

"You did bring me," Lexa waved the grimoire, "and a handy little spell."

"Fair enough," he smirked. "I've come prepared."

Elena twisted around and put her feet on the floor. The ache that had forced her to take a seat had faded after Elijah lifted her legs; a brief respite was all she had needed.

"You're back," she smiled.

Kol's eyes found her stomach when she stood up.

"Bloody hell," he breathed, "I leave for five days and come back to a very prominent baby bump."

"I really hope you're not implying I'm fat," Elena crossed her arms over her chest.

"I would never say that," he smiled. "I'm just surprised. I thought it would take longer."

"Yes, well…" Elena pressed her palms to her stomach, "… apparently it's an overnight sort of thing."

"Carrying twins' means you show sooner too," Lexa tucked a curl behind her ear.

"Less room to grow," Elena smirked. She tilted her head and looked the blonde over quickly, cataloguing her features. "Who are you?"

"This is Lexa," Kol smiled. "She's a descendant of an old friend of mine. Lexa," he nodded to each person in the room as he introduced them, "this is Elena and her brother Jeremy, Stefan Salvatore, my brothers Elijah and Klaus, my sister Rebekah, and Caroline Forbes for some odd reason."

"I was invited," Caroline smiled sweetly.

"By who," Kol smirked, "Elena or Nik?" He held in his chuckle when she turned from him and returned to her task of decorating the tree.

* * *

Elena drummed her fingers on the table and watched Lexa study the spell one last time. She scooted back a bit and straightened her legs over the mahogany surface to lean on her hands.

"How exactly does this work?" Elena watched her pull her hair into a low ponytail. "I'm not going to have to give blood for this am I?"

"No," Lexa smiled reassuringly, "no blood. It's actually really simple. You just have to lie down, and one of the vampires in this room needs to locate a fetal heartbeat for me so I can do the spell which will place a mark on the father's left wrist."

"Why would we have to do that?" Kol frowned.

"Because," Lexa directed Elena down, "twins, assuming they're fraternal, can be conceived days and even weeks apart, and since you don't have an ultrasound I have no way of knowing if they're identical or not."

"So, that means…" Rebekah's eyes darted between her brothers.

"I'll be doing the spell twice," Lexa nodded. Her eyes darted around the suddenly silent kitchen. "Is somebody going to help me?"

Caroline pushed around the suddenly stunned brothers and lowered her head to Elena's stomach. After a moment of listening she pinpointed both heartbeats.

"Here," she indicated a spot just below Elena's ribs, "and here," the second baby's heart fluttered below Elena's belly button.

"Thanks," Lexa nodded. She placed her right hand just below Elena's rib and blinked in surprise when she felt magic coursing under her skin and deep within her womb. Shaking off the revelation she closed her eyes and began chanting. The magic shifted in the air.

"So," opening her eyes she nodded to the brothers, "are you going to tell us who's having a bouncing baby boy, or not?"

Kol and Elijah pushed up their sleeves.

Warmth flooded Kol's chest when he saw the bold black lines forming two arrow heads pointing in opposite directions. He could practically feel the disappointment coming from Elijah; it turned to hope when Lexa moved her hands.

"Definitely fraternal," she murmured.

"You can tell that already?" Elena swallowed. She hadn't looked at the Originals yet; she was too busy focusing on the strange sensation racing through her blood, turning the crimson liquid into a glowing liquid, a warm energy that she had sometimes felt when she used to go running through the wooded trails of Mystic Falls or when she had stood in certain spots in the cemetery; she'd even felt it the night of the ritual.

"I can," Lexa smirked, "because you've got a little boy up here," she tapped above Elena's naval, "and down here is there's a little girl." Closing her eyes she concentrated her energy again and began to chant.

Elena inhaled sharply as the energy bubbled beneath her skin and in the air around her body; it seemed to flow from Lexa to her and back in a never ending circle.

She straightened up when the spell was done and took a moment to collect her thoughts. In a matter of minutes Lexa had provided more information than any ultrasound could have ever hoped to; she now knew not only what she was having but the paternity of her unborn children, at least she would when she finally turned around.

It was a slow turn, a pivoting motion on her hip that turned her around to face them. A flush worked its way up the back of her neck when she saw them both looking down at the identical marks on their wrists.

 _This is going to be an interesting six months;_ Elena hopped down from the table and tried not to laugh when they both moved to help her.

* * *

"Why those three?" Damon whined, fiddling with the last block of white oak. He already had plans to carve it into stakes, the first of which he planned to drive through Kol in retaliation for breaking his neck and sleeping with  _his_  girl. The second one was for Elijah, and the third he would drive through the hearts of one of the others; he neither wanted nor needed help from those who were older than him.

"Because," Esther spoke in a soothing voice; it was the voice she used to use to explain to Kol why it was wrong to torment his little brother and sister. "Those three each have reasons to want my children dead, one hates Rebekah with a burning passion, the other loathes Elijah, and the third you know despises Niklaus."

"They're strong," Bonnie extinguished a few candles, "and smart. In their hands the wood will be of more use than in ours."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read; I hope you enjoyed this chapter, big things are coming up! :)
> 
> Keep an eye out for New Year's Eve in the next couple of days.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.
> 
> Here we go: New Year's Eve.

December 31 – 14 Weeks

* * *

How do you get a paranoid hybrid to listen to reason?

Apparently it's as simple as pointing out the ridiculousness of his tactics, and really what were the odds of anyone trying anything at such a public event?

"You're being ridiculous," Caroline crossed her arms, "and paranoid."

"I assure you, Caroline," Klaus flashed across the room, "my paranoia is what's kept this family alive for the last thousand years."

"Running from your dad," she lifted her chin, "I remember, but a life on the run isn't a life and neither is one hidden away."

He clenched his into fists.

"They have had nearly a month with the only white oak in the world, and I have waited, but the more time that passes makes it clear my mother is concocting a plan that I have no intention of sticking around for. We are leaving," he hissed through clenched teeth, "all of us."

She could see it in the set of his jaw and rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Do you really believe you'd ever get Elena to run?"

"If she's got any sense of self-preservation she'll eagerly pack her bags," he scoffed.

Caroline couldn't stop her derisive snort. She loved Elena, she really did, but the brunette had no sense of self-preservation.

"She's not the type to hide Klaus; she willingly went to you. She won't run."

"Bold of you to assume she has a choice in the matter," he growled.

"I think she's got two Originals who will respect her decision."

His brows lowered in a glare. He would get her out of town ensuring the continuance of her blood and the safety of his niece and nephew even if he had to take drastic measures to do so.

* * *

Elena paused when she felt Elijah stiffen beside her, a spoonful of spiced apple slices halfway to her lips. A glance over her shoulder showed his head tilted slightly to the left as he listened to a conversation happening somewhere else in the mansion.

Lexa lifted her eyes from the triskele drawn on the yellowed pages of an ancient grimoire; it was one he'd picked up in Ireland at some point during his travels. She couldn't read the language penned in the margins but she recognized the symbol as one of reincarnation and the immortality of the spirit; it was meant to represent the never-ending movement of energy.

She had just been starting to lose herself in the pages when she felt a shift to her right and sensed the stiffening of ancient muscles that were usually carefree and relaxed. Her green eyes turned to Kol who appeared to be listening intently to something happening somewhere else.

Elena shifted her gaze forward again, knowing Elijah would tell her soon enough, and spotted the spirals on Lexa's page. Not for the first time she wondered why the witch was still there, but she bit down the question mainly because she didn't think Lexa knew herself; there was something in the air between her and Kol.

"What's that?" Elena kept her voice low. Popping the spoonful of apples into her mouth she nodded to the book.

Lexa glanced back down and pushed her hair back from her face.

"It's a triskele," she murmured. Part of her instinctively knew to keep her voice quiet so she wouldn't distract the vampires from whatever they would hear. "It's a threefold Celtic knot."

Elena leaned closer and examined the swirling lines that made it look like each of the three arms moved outwards from the center.

"Each arm symbolizes something different, and the definition changes depending on the context."

Elena nodded for her to continue. She liked the symbol; there was something about it that was comforting.

"It could mean: mind-body-spirit, mother-father-child, past-present-future, power-intellect-love, creation-preservation-destruction, or life-death-rebirth."

"Is that all?" Elena's eyes widened. She tilted her head and shook with a small laugh.

"All the ones I know of," Lexa grinned.

"Okay," Elena scooped up another spoonful of apple slices, "what does it mean for a witch?" She assumed there was a special meaning since it resided in a spell book.

"Usually it represents energy; it never stops flowing, and it can't cease to be. Energy can change form, but it's always there."

"Interesting," Elena chewed slowly. She nodded to the remainder of the page. "What's the rest of it mean?"

Lexa's fingernail ghosted over the fading Celtic. Raised as a young witch she had learned the language of magic at the knees of her family, but Celtic was a language she didn't know.

"I wish I could tell you," she shrugged one shoulder and closed the book, "but I can't read Celtic, and even if I could there are like… six different languages in the same family that are still spoken, and judging by the state of this book there is a good chance this particular dialect died out; it would take me some time to interpret."

"On to the 'later viewing' pile then?" Elena chuckled.

"For now," Lexa agreed. She turned her attention back to Kol when she felt him relax and completely missed the knowing lift of Elena's eyebrow when she twisted to face his corner of the table. "What's going on?"

"Nik and Caroline are arguing," he tapped the spine of a red book.

"And here I was hoping for some juicy gossip," Elena sighed and placed her chin in her hand, her eyes sparkled with amusement, "that's hardly news worthy."

"They are discussing you," Elijah placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Something wrong?" Elena's eyes darted to Kol when he stood from his chair in a fluid motion.

"Not if I can help it," he smirked before flashing from the room.

The rush of wind rustled Lexa's curls.

Elena leaned back into Elijah's arm. She tipped her head up and to the left to meet his soft gaze. Worry snaked through her and flickered in her eyes.

"It's merely Niklaus being Niklaus," Elijah sighed. "He wants to leave Mystic Falls and put as much distance as he can between us and them."

She didn't need to ask who the 'them' referred to. Dropping her spoon she settled her hands over her abdomen and took a deep breath when his palm covered the back of her hand. She could see the merits in leaving, she wasn't a fool; his life was in danger, Kol, Rebekah and Klaus were in danger. Leaving would ensure they were safe and alive for a time, but she feared once they started they would never stop.

What kind of life would that be for her children?

She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what. Instead her eyes closed when he brushed her lips in a soft kiss that stole her breath.

 _Stupid hormones,_  she sighed as a spark of desire flickered to life.

Lexa sensed a shift in the air and quietly got to her feet.

"You don't want to run," he murmured against her smooth skin. He had no desire to flee the wrath of his mother either. A thousand years had been spent attempting to outrun his father and he had no desire to inflict that life on Elena, their daughter, and his nephew; children needed stability.

Before Elena could open her mouth to agree, or disagree, she wasn't really sure which; they were joined in the kitchen.

"Hey," Caroline plopped down in Lexa's vacated seat, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get out for a little bit." Between her house and the mansion she'd barely been anywhere else. "There's a founders party I'm supposed to be at, and as a daughter of a founding family you're expected to show up too."

Elena slid her hand over her stomach and placed her head on Elijah's shoulder. She felt him press a kiss to her hair.

"Come on," Caroline grinned, "it'll be fun. We can get you all dolled up in one of those dresses Rebekah insisted you get and stir up the town gossips."

* * *

Elena smoothed down the indigo lace so the intricate patterns fell evenly over the cream coloured silk and adjusted the midnight blue ribbon beneath her breasts. She wasn't huge by any means but the maternity dress made it clear she was expecting.

"What part of this was meant to be fun?" Elena turned her amused gaze to Caroline. Her friend shimmered in a silver dress that fell to her knees.

She couldn't hear the things being whispered around champagne flutes, but she could infer quite a bit from the way questioning gazes would dart to her abdomen.

"It's a change of scenery," Elijah pressed a flute of ginger ale into her hands.

"That is nice," she murmured. Sipping her ginger ale she cast her gaze around the room; it was the usual crowd, in the typical finery, at the normal venue, but it was a shift from the mansion.

Her eyes landed on Rebekah emerging from the dining room with Stefan. It seemed she needed an escort of at least two Originals these days, and it would have been Kol but he was busy searching for something at the house.

"No one knows how to throw a party anymore," Rebekah sighed. She turned her eyes to Elijah. "Do you remember some of the parties we used to have back in New Orleans?" Her wistful gaze shifted to Stefan. "Or the speakeasies in Chicago… people knew how to host a proper party back then."

"It can't be that bad, Rebekah," Elena rolled her eyes.

"Talk to me after you've been to a real party, Elena," she sipped her champagne. "The only decent thing here is the food."

"Carol Lockwood does employ the best caterers," Caroline nodded in agreement.

"Mm," Rebekah hummed, "the apple tarts are to die for."

Caroline giggled when Elena perked up at the mention of the sweet treat.

"What's so funny?" Elijah asked.

"Elena," Caroline nodded to the pregnant brunette. "You always hated apples, and now you can't get enough of them."

"I'm just grateful my cravings are for relatively normal foods," Elena smirked. She slipped away from the small group and into the dining room.

The voice of Carol Lockwood met her ears when she stepped inside; she was berating one of the wait staff.

"Look around," she hissed, "what's missing?" Carol didn't wait for the young man to answer. "Flames," she gestured to the table, "the candles; why are none of them lit?"

Elena almost felt bad for the young man. Carol was a kind woman, but she didn't tolerate sloppiness or anything less than perfect.

"There are matches in the kitchen," she waved him off with a sigh.

Carol sighed and turned around. Her mouth popped open when she saw Elena on the other side of the table; her eyes darted down in search of confirmation to the rumors she had heard flying about.

"Elena," she smiled and nodded to the glass, "is that the best choice?"

She followed Carol's eyes to the flute between her fingers.

"It's ginger ale, Mrs. Lockwood," she returned the tight smile. Her eyes fell to the picked over trays on the table. "Someone said something about apple tarts," she glanced up hopefully.

"There's an extra tray in the kitchen," Carol smiled knowingly.

Elena smiled and turned to sneak towards the kitchen when Carol left. Her arm caught a tall taper. Instinctively she reached out to catch the candle, and was grateful that she did because when she looked down the wick flickered with a tiny flame.

 _That was close;_  she replaced the candle in its holder. It was just her luck that the one she would knock over was the only one actually lit.

She picked up her glass and adjusted an unlit candle in danger of falling from the shelf on her way out the door, blind to the flickering flame that ignited the wick.

* * *

Caroline just held in her urge to throw her hands in the air when she saw the newest addition to the party. She dropped her glass on the tray of a passing waiter and crossed the floor to stand in front of him.

"I truly hope you're not here to cause a scene," she crossed her arms.

"It pains me that you think me capable of that, love," he cocked an eyebrow, but he couldn't hide the spark of amusement in his eyes. He'd had a thousand years to perfect his poker face, but around her his emotions shone through every time.

Caroline rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So," Lexa ran her fingers along the smooth bookshelf, "what exactly are you looking for?" She flipped over her wrist and examined the thin layer of dust on her forefinger.

"I don't trust Nik," Kol shifted some books around; "he's got a habit of hoarding us in boxes when we disagree with him."

She circled the room slowly and perched in the leather desk chair. Her eyes followed him as he tore piece after piece of the room apart and put it back together.

"Aren't you like, a thousand years old?"

"I am," he paused in his search and sauntered across the room. Planting his palms on the antique desk he leaned over and smirked. "I don't look a day over twenty though."

"Really," her eyes flickered over his body, "I would have said nineteen."

She stood and flattened her palms on the other side of the desk. Leaning slightly forward she found herself at eye level with him.

"That's nice," he sighed, "rub in the fact that I died on the cusp of twenty; forever nineteen. I've lived with my siblings ribbing for a millennium now."

"My point," she tilted her head to the left. "You're over a thousand years old, so how can a box hold you." She drummed her fingers on the underside of the desk.

"It's not the box, darling," his smirk was dark, "it's a mystical dagger dipped in the ash of the white oak tree. They've got the power to put us to sleep; a century could pass by and I would be completely unaware until waking up."

"Sounds horrible," her brows lowered. She choked on the anger she felt when she thought of a dagger piercing his heart.

"Personally I'm a fan of them, but a permanent nap sounds far more appealing."

Lexa's heart leapt into her throat. Her eyes swivelled to the door and the man that had appeared from nowhere.

* * *

Elena couldn't understand the alarm that rang in the back of her mind, the voice that screamed turn around and run. She couldn't see anything wrong with the empty kitchen, so she took slow steps inside.

Suddenly her toe caught on something solid and she pitched forward. She righted herself with the aid of a barstool and felt her short heel slip from her right foot.

Grateful that nobody had been around to see the stumble she turned with the intention of retrieving her shoe.

A scream bubbled up in her throat but before she could alert anyone to the dead waiter arms closed around her waist and the room blurred in her vision.

The door opened a few seconds later. Elijah's heart thudded when he stepped inside. He saw her shoe first and thought she had tripped, but when he flashed around the side of the counter he saw the body sprawled on the floor and the open door leading out into the night.

He was not one to swear, but in that moment he couldn't stop the harsh expletive from leaving his lips.

* * *

Her Baltimore home possessed three flights of stairs, and when she was ten years old she had stumbled on them. Her body had toppled backwards down the last flight of stairs and the final impact had resulted in a broken leg. She had known pain before that on an emotional scale, but never before had anything physically hurt her, and nothing had hurt her since.

Until now.

She felt it, the pain; it hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her body was pushed out of the way by Kol in an attempt to protect her from the advancing vampire who he had addressed as Damon. Her ankle twisted over the edge of the antique carpet and her elbow struck the back of a couch.

Neither wound hurt her, not really, what hurt was when her startled cry drew the concerned eye of Kol. The split second he took to check on her was enough for Damon to gain a short advantage and knock the Original off his feet.

He flipped backwards over the desk.

In a blur of movement to fast for Lexa's eyes to follow Damon grabbed the iron poker from the fireplace and used it to pin Kol to the wall when he stood up.

No, her wounds were not what pained her; it was the length of wood he drew. It was the swing of his arm and the surfacing memory of how she knew his name. It was the strangled cry as the wood penetrated Kol's chest while he was busy pulling the iron rod from his gut.

Her heart split in the most excruciating display of pain she had ever experienced.

Her twisted ankle protested under the sudden weight, but she barely felt it and jumped to her feet. Her hand shot out as her fingers curled into a slow fist.

"Ossox!"

A series of loud cracks were drowned out by Damon's yell. He grabbed his head before his bones got a chance to heal.

Through the haze of his vision he spotted Lexa advancing slowly before everything faded to black.

She darted around the desk and fell to her knees beside Kol; he had fallen onto his side. The smell of burning flesh rose to her nose and made her stomach turn.

The adrenaline coursing through her body sputtered out. Her hands trembled and her breath shook; he looked positively grey.

"Shit!" She shrieked when his arm moved.

* * *

The world spun for several long seconds before stopping.

She stumbled when the arms holding her tight let go and caught herself on a set of stone steps. In the distance she could hear the music from the party, no louder than a whisper in the air, sweet nothings murmured against a lover's skin.

Cold seeped up her leg through the sole of her bare foot. She took a moment to catch her breath before turning around to face her abductor. She had been expecting Damon, so was surprised by the duo.

The woman practically blended into the night. She was dressed from head to toe in dark colours so Elena struggled at first to see her, but her venomous eyes glittered, the whites glowing in her ebony face; she was gorgeous in a dangerous way.

The man was easier to see. His pale skin practically glowed in the light of the moon along with the pinstripes of his dark suit.

Elena's eyes darted over the darkened landscape. The stairs she sat on helped her mind in placing her geographically; it was the entrance to the old cellar. She was less than half a mile from the manor.

"Who are you?" She shivered in the winter air, and blinked in surprise. She eyed his offered jacket suspiciously.

"Come now," he chastened gently, "we mean you no harm, Elena." He draped his warm suit coat over her shaking shoulders. "We just needed a little leverage to lure your lover from the party."

"Tell me," his blue eyes flickered to her abdomen, "are the rumors true?"

Elena jerked back from his hand that was coming towards her stomach and glared when he smiled. There was something sinister in his gaze; it was malicious, vicious, and full of arrogance.

"Who are you?" She gritted her teeth. If she weren't pregnant and worried about catching something that might potentially harm her babies she would have thrown his jacket into the woods. From the corner of her eye she saw the woman melt into the darkness.

"My name Tristan," he rose to his feet, and began rolling up the sleeves of his white button down. "And I've a score to settle with your lover, but no harm need come to you; provided you stay out the way."

Elena swallowed and moved as far back as possible. There were only a few inches that she could traverse before the cold stone dug into the small of her back.

He was an enemy of Elijah. She knew after a thousand years he must have gained a few, but to come face to face with one made her stomach turn in a way that made her pray her morning sickness would not be making a surprise comeback.

"What did he do?" Elena couldn't care less about the many sins of his past, but she wanted to keep Tristan talking in the hopes that it would bring Elijah to her sooner; she knew he was already looking.

"He turned me," Tristan rocked back on his heels and met her eyes, "compelled me, my sister, and my servant into believing we were the Originals and then left. We spent a century running from Mikael in their stead. He had caught up with his children you see; rumours spread out from our castle of a monster, bearing the face of Kol."

His eyes fell to her stomach again. The rumors had to be true because there was no other reason for his sire to suddenly appear between the trees.

Elena gasped when Tristan vanished and reappeared a few feet away. The man had been lifted off his feet and was now pinned to a broad oak tree by his throat.

"Tristan," his tone was civil, as if discussing the weather, "what are you doing here?"

Tristan smirked and spoke around the hand crushing his windpipe, his eyes darting to Elena.

"Good news travels fast," he croaked. "I came to offer my heartfelt congratulations."

What happened next was too fast for Elena's eyes to truly track. She caught only glimpses of them between resounding blows.

Tristan hit the stone foundations three feet to her right.

Elijah was thrown into a towering pine in a show of strength that told Elena Tristan was very old.

Tristan rolled in the dirt at her feet and spat blood onto the stone steps.

Elijah was forced to his knees; his arm wrenched behind his back.

Tristan lurched back when an arm twisted to push him down.

Through the trees she saw movement and scrambled to her feet to warn him because if Tristan was old then his friend probably was too. She had seen cunning in both sets of eyes and knew if they planned to truly cause any harm they would have to be old and strong.

Seconds… seconds was all it took, seconds for him to be momentarily overpowered, seconds for him to block the wood being thrust towards his heart, seconds for the second stake to find a home in his back, seconds for the other vampires to back away.

For a moment nothing happened.

For one moment she thought nothing of it because there was only one thing that would do the job, and there was no way this man had found it.

Except…

She met his eyes as he reached over his shoulder, but his fingers never made contact with the wood.

Her heart felt like it was splitting in two. The smell of burning flesh reached her across the small distance that was suddenly miles of vast desert; a space she could never hope to cross in time.

The woman rushed her as she fell to her knees.

Flames rose in the small clearing.

* * *

She pulled with all of her strength until the stake came free and dropped the blood covered wood beside his grey body. She could see the struggle to move, to heal, in his limbs.

"Kol?" She placed her hand over his chest and examined the gaping hole. Blood flowed from the wound and pooled on the floor beneath his body, but the burning smell had stopped. "Are you dead? Please don't be dead."

She breathed a sigh of relief when he groaned, but the second sign of life was not enough to assuage her fears.

She stared down at the hole and willed him to heal, but the ability he was supposed to have didn't seem to be working; it was a moment before the answer hit her.

His blood was soaking into her jeans and the carpet and Damon's clothes. There was too much of it, which meant there wasn't enough in his body.

She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. Pulling her hair over her shoulder she tilted her head and pulled him up.

"Try not to kill me," she exhaled slowly and pressed him to her neck.

Her gasp filled the room when his teeth sank into her skin.

* * *

Rebekah and Stefan found her first. When they got to the clearing Elena was kneeling in the grass, her fingertips less than an inch from a pile of ash, a smoldering corpse a few feet to her left, and a dead vampire with no sign of injury to her right.

Dread crept through Rebekah's veins.

"Elena," she dropped to her knees and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "where's my brother?"

Elena trembled beneath Rebekah's hand. A high-pitched squeak was the only sign that she had heard.

Rebekah could smell the salty tears flowing down Elena's cheeks; they dripped from her chin onto the grass.

Stefan ignored the dead and knelt on the other side of the line of ashes. He was going to ask when saw what Rebekah hadn't: a glint of gold in the ash.

In the distance they heard the raucous shouts of the party goers counting down the hour.

5…

A blue stone was set in the simple ring.

4…

"Rebekah," Stefan lifted the ring.

3…

She turned her attention from the brunette.

2…

Her fingers plucked the familiar ring from Stefan's hand.

1…

Caroline and Klaus found them as Elena's sobs finally broke.

* * *

Her eagle eyes tracked the movement of the Original witch when she stepped out from the large door of the foreclosed mansion. A triumphant smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

She saw Esther raise her hands and heard the invocation of an ancient spell.

When the woman was gone she moved quickly and quietly to the windows where flames flickered behind the glass.

Her eyes grew round when she saw it: dozens of dead vampires whose bodies would be ash before the fire-trucks could arrive to even begin stifling the inferno.

* * *

Without thinking Caroline fell on her friend's other side and pulled the shaking brunette into her arms. She ran her hand through Elena's hair and made comforting sounds to try and calm her down, but her motions froze when Rebekah lifted the ring and Klaus fell to his knees.

Caroline had seen the hybrid when he was angry, cocky, and stubborn but she had never seen him broken; his voice shook when he addressed Elena.

"What happened?"

Elena choked on her tears. She couldn't speak around the weight over her heart.

Rebekah took Elena's hands and placed the ring in her palm before taking the sides of her head. She highly doubted the brunette heard the warning before she slipped into her mind.

The first thing to hit her was the overwhelming heartbreak. Rebekah had known the feeling before, but never on such a scale; it was like her very being had been torn apart, a jagged wound with no hope of healing in sight.

The second thing she saw was the fight. In Elena's mind everything had slowed down, but Rebekah knew the events had happened in a matter of seconds; Elena was blaming herself for something she could have never hoped to have prevented.

She saw her brother fall and felt that never ending moment before he erupted in flames. She saw the bitch, Aya, move to strike Elena and felt something shift when she touched the brunette and before the vampire fell; burning as if hit by the sun.

At the very last she saw Tristan fall for no apparent reason.

Elena knew what it was to drown, and she knew she was drowning in her grief because he had been her always and they should have had forever.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really hard to write, but I promise it was all part of the plan that is nowhere near done yet.
> 
> What do you think?


	9. Chapter 9

January 14 – 16 Weeks

* * *

She still thought it was insane but she had to admire how quickly Klaus had flown into action. She accredited his speed to centuries spent fleeing from his father; it was impressive. Though she supposed it was easier to pick up and run when you had seemingly unlimited funds, and a witch willing to offer her family home until a further plan could be made certainly helped matters.

The house was nowhere near as grand as the Mikaelson mansion in Mystic Falls, but the Baltimore home was still gorgeous with just enough space to act as a safe house. There were five bedrooms in the nineteenth century home which worked out perfectly since nobody wanted to leave Elena alone.

Caroline thought the house must have felt terribly empty when it was just the young witch.

* * *

She bunched the pillow under her head and stared through the window at the leaves, swaying wildly in the winter wind. Thick flakes swirled beyond the glass sending a chill down her spine. Beneath her palm her stomach fluttered before settling.

She didn't move.

It was the middle of the night, a time when she wasn't expected to move. She probably should have been asleep, she definitely should have been asleep, but every time she closed her eyes she saw him fall, she saw the woman Rebekah had referred to as Aya burn after touching her skin and she saw the man turn grey moments later.

She couldn't sleep; the closest she got was a state of numbness, an overtired realm of psychosis where she was indifferent to everything around her until someone inevitably touched her shoulder and pulled her from her dark memory because she had to get up.

_"She can't keep this up," a male voice growled somewhere to her left._

_"She's grieving," a woman's voice cut through the choking sobs._

_"We're all grieving."_

_"There are no shortcuts in this process. What exactly would you have us do?"_

_She blinked through the haze of tears when her chin was grasped, more gently than she had thought him capable of, but his grip was still rough. Through the salt water blurring her vision she saw his pupils dilate and heard the outraged cries of several people._

_"Stop crying and snap out of this," his voice was low and gruff. "For the sake of your children you are going to get out of this bed and take care of yourself."_

Her entire being felt like it had been split into two entities: the lover and the mother. As his lover her body mourned his loss, wanting to curl into herself and do nothing but sob. The lover hated Klaus for taking away her tears, but the mother was grateful because the other entity had been overpowering the rest of her being.

The only thing she was incapable of seemed to be sleep, that and talking. She hadn't said a word; the weight on her heart was still too heavy.

Behind her shoulder she heard the door opening beyond its usual crack and closed her eyes, feigning sleep for whatever vampire had come to check on her; it seemed without fail that Kol or Caroline or Rebekah would wind up in her room over the course of the long nights, the never ending nights.

She finally moved when the door clicked shut again, a line appearing between her brows as she rolled over slowly.

"They tell me you're not sleeping," Lexa perched on the side of the bed. She tilted her head taking in the dark circles beneath the brunette's eyes. "You know that's not good."

Elena turned her head back to the window. She had thought she was doing so well, acting for her audience. Opening her mouth she closed it again without speaking.

"I get it," she gently moved a few strands of hair from Elena's face. "You don't want to talk, or you can't. I didn't say a word for months after my parents died, and I didn't sleep either; I kept seeing them go, and then I saw the funeral and it was just…"

"My aunt found out when I nodded off in class and came up with something that helped. May I try it? It always sent me off into a dreamless sleep." Lexa started humming under her breath when Elena nodded slowly.

The soothing melody washed over her body causing her tense muscles to relax and her eyes to drift shut. Lexa's lilting song banished the mini-movie playing in her mind until all that remained was a blissful blank screen.

Lexa ran her index finger lightly over Elena's brow, smoothing out the frown until the brunette slept soundly. Lifting the heavy green quilt over her shoulders Lexa stood and stepped out into the hall.

"She's out."

"Thank you little witch," Kol rubbed a hand along the back of his neck.

Lexa wanted to lie to him and say Elena would be alright given enough time, but the words stuck in her throat.

"Are you okay?"

She had yet to see any of the Mikaelsons break down in tears as Elena had done. They were all the 'grieve in silence' type, but she still kicked herself for asking because obviously he wasn't; he'd have to be a sociopath to not be affected by recent events.

The reassurance caught in his throat. It had been a thousand years since he had mourned the loss of a brother, but he couldn't remember Henrik's death hitting him as hard. They weren't supposed to die.

"No," he cast his eyes down the hall to the study. Pressing his back to the wall he slid down, the weight of the past weeks forcing him to the floor.

Lexa knelt beside him; placing her small hand on his forearm she kneaded small circles into his skin with her thumb.

* * *

Caroline stepped into the dining room and took a seat at the table littered with open grimoires and notebooks. She watched in silence as Klaus flipped through the pages of a leather book that just might have been older than he was.

It was several moments before she opened her mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm searching," Klaus closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, "for answers."

"For what?" Caroline tilted her head and blinked.

"Tristan and Aya…" his hand ran back through his hair. "Elena was the only one present and by her memory of…" his throat tightened. "Aya burst into flames when she touched her and Tristan… Tristan just dropped dead."

"You think there's a connection?" She leaned over the table.

"There's more to it," he rubbed his jaw. The exhaustion was beginning to settle in. He had barely slept since leaving Mystic Falls intent on protecting his family.

Caroline cocked an eyebrow and waited, but she could feel her patience wearing thin. He pulled a folded paper from his pocket before she could ask. Wordlessly she took it and cast her eyes on the blown up picture of a burning mansion. Dozens of vampires were inside, dressed to the nines; they were all dead with no signs of a fight.

"I feel like I'm missing something," Caroline looked up.

"Every vampire in that picture," he tapped the page, "along with Tristan and Aya… every last one was either turned by Elijah or by a vampire turned by Elijah. Every last vampire shared his blood." He glanced back down to the page. "Look at the time stamp."

"12:15 AM, January 1," Caroline murmured. "Minutes after…" she set the photo down. "They all look like Tristan did, but Aya was burned to a crisp."

"Aya was an anomaly and I believe I know what happened to her."

Caroline nodded encouragingly.

"She went for Elena." The statement was simple, as if that should have answered any question; he saw that it didn't a moment later. "My mother was… is," he corrected, "a powerful witch, and I am still not convinced Lexa's cloaking spell will be enough to hide us from her. She passed that power on to her children, though Kol was the only one to tap into his magic while alive."

"You think the babies burnt Aya?" Caroline's brows shot up.

"Last I checked Elena wasn't a witch," he tapped the faded runes. "Although, she does come from a line of gypsies, they're called travelers now." He shook himself from the musing and focused on Caroline. "Aya was the anomaly, but I'm starting to believe that if she hadn't gone after a woman carrying two half-witch children she would have died in the same manner."

"I take it you have a theory."

He nodded, blinking tiredly.

"Kill an Original vampire and their entire bloodline, any vampire sired from them, dies with them."

"One is random," Caroline murmured, "two is a coincidence, and three is a pattern."

"I'm not in a rush to test my theory, love," he chuckled darkly. "Just the opposite actually."

"The purpose of his life… his unrelenting desire was always my redemption. Every time I relapsed into a spiral of mayhem and bloodshed, devoid of my family's influence, he would come to my aid, my rescue." He lifted his gaze from the book. "I won't let this be his end."

"Klaus…" she worried her bottom lip, searching for the right turn of phrase. "Death… it's… its kind of permanent."

Her heart broke when his voice cracked.

"I don't know how to function without him Caroline." His eyes found the Celtic knot along the top of the grimoire's page.

Later she would analyze her lack of hesitation, but in that moment she flashed around the side of the table and slid into the seat beside him. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders she felt the slight tremor radiating down his spine.

"Maybe you're right," he lifted his gaze, "maybe it's a lost cause…"

"I never said that," she cut in.

"No," he sighed, "but you're thinking it. Maybe I'm clinging to hope so I won't have to face the fact, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I will exhaust every connection I have, and more until I find a way to bring my brother back because in my experience there is always a way, a loophole to exploit."

"Maybe I'm right," he twisted to meet her eyes, "and maybe you are."

"I don't want to be right," she whispered. "I want there to be a way to bring him back."

"For my sake," Klaus cocked an eyebrow, "or Elena's?"

"Why can't it be both?" Caroline stood from the table. "Try to get some rest."

"I'll rest when she does," he turned back to his books.

"Didn't you hear?" She waited until he met her eyes again. "Lexa used some sort of spell. Elena's asleep right now; it's my turn so I'm going to go watch her and make sure she doesn't wake up for a while."

* * *

January 17

* * *

Kol paced back and forth at the foot of the bed; anxiety swirled through him every time he looked at her.

"It's not normal to sleep this long," his eyes snapped to the door.

"She's gonna be fine," Lexa stepped into the room.

"Nobody sleeps that long," Klaus growled. Accusations flashed in his dark eyes when he looked at the petite blonde. He would kill her, regardless of the growing thing between her and Kol, if she had harmed Elena and his brothers' children. "What have you done to her?"

Lexa met the hybrid's gold eyes, straightening her spine in the face of his anger. She got the impression there were few people, aside from his siblings, to stand up to Klaus Mikaelson and tell the tale.

"I put her to sleep," she cocked an eyebrow, "and if she is still sleeping it's because she needs the rest. She's barely slept since New Year's Day Klaus; and if she hadn't nodded off for a few minutes the other day none of us would have noticed. She was exhausted."

Three sets of eyes darted to the bed when Elena shifted.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly before narrowing in confusion. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings before sitting up, the striped quilt falling down around her waist. She'd barely had a chance to sway in place before hands steadied her.

Lexa tilted her head and examined Elena's eyes, they had been bloodshot and dull last she had seen, but the veins had receded and the dark circles under her eyes were all but gone.

"Do you feel any better…" she wanted to die on the spot when Klaus glared at her, "… physically," she amended. "Do you feel any better, physically?"

Elena swallowed and pressed her hand to her fluttering stomach. Her chest was still heavy over her heart, and she was certain someone had released a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her abdomen, but her head felt a little clearer and her body was less shaky.

Nodding slowly she let Kol help her to her feet.

"How about some breakfast, darling?"

She stiffened holding her stomach; the butterflies took flight when he spoke.

"S-something…" Elena grimaced at her own voice, hoarse from disuse.

Lexa read the fear in Elena's eyes and moved around the side of the bed, placing her hand above the brunette's.

"You're okay," she murmured. "They're just moving."

"Should she be able to feel that this early?" Klaus frowned.

"She's slender," Lexa shrugged, "they don't have a lot of room to move about."

Kol's hand covered the swell of Elena's stomach when Lexa pulled away. The fluttering was distinct under his palm. He was vaguely aware of Klaus and Lexa slipping from the room, but the vast majority of his wonderstruck attention was directed at Elena's abdomen.

"They're kicking," he felt a smile lift the edges of his mouth.

Elena's eyes tracked the movement when he knelt and placed a hand on either side of her stomach. Her vision shimmered with tears she couldn't shed.

"Elena?" He stood and tipped up her chin.

The fluttering slowed down before stopping entirely, but her eyes still shone with moisture. This was one of the big moments. His daughter, his little girl, was kicking for the first time and he had missed it. He'd never feel her move, hold her in his arms, or search for their joint features in her face.

"He's supposed to be here," she croaked around the lump in her throat.

"I know," he nodded, pressing a light kiss to her brow. He frowned when he saw the moisture in eyes. "It's okay to cry, love."

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

"I c-c-can't."

His eyes widened as the realization struck him.

"I'll go and get Nik to lift his compulsion. He never should have compelled you in the first place."

"No," she swallowed, "he was right to do it." Elena closed her eyes for a beat and immediately reached for his arm. "Will you do something for me?"

"Anything," he nodded.

"Make me forget," she saw the hesitation in his eyes, "please, Kol. I need to forget the details. I… I… I need to forget seeing it. I k-keep… keep seeing it, again and again; every… every time I close my eyes."

His eyes flickered over her features to her trembling lip before rising to her wide eyes. She wasn't asking to forget everything, just the horror she had witnessed, and for that reason alone he nodded his assent and gently lifted her chin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.
> 
> Sorry for the delays. I've had a busy week at work and a nasty cold that has finally decided to go away. I've made a promise to myself to update two stories this weekend, so keep a lookout for Who Are You?
> 
> Also I had this idea for a canon divergence fic that would be a funny fractured fairy tale sort of story. Basically Elena is mistaken for Katherine by a vengeful warlock who locks her in a prison world of sorts where fairy tales play out with her as the leading lady, and maybe the warlock as the narrator who she can hear. The only way out is to gain true loves kiss (cuz fairy tales) only problem is that doppelgangers aren't supposed to have true love (at least not according to the warlock). She's not alone in this prison world either. After each failed attempt to get out the world sort of resets and thrusts her into another fairy tale that pulls in the consciousness' of people she has met in her life that take on the roles of guides or potential love interests. Back in reality nobody can figure out why people keep collapsing for long stretches of time only to wake up with no memory of what's happened during their 'dream'.
> 
> This is just in the story idea notebook right now and will remain there until I finish some other stories.

January 17-31 – 16-18 Weeks

* * *

She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw her hands up in the air. She wanted to kick the table over. She wanted to send the candles and crystals rolling across the floor. She wanted to watch the flames lick up the drapes.

At least then she would have been doing something. At least then her actions would yield results.

She did none of those things because she was rather attached to her house.

"I can't find them," she massaged the back of her neck. A knot had formed there on New Year's Day and had refused to leave, only growing in intensity with each failed attempt to locate them.

"My children are resourceful," Esther gave a mirthless laugh, "but nobody is capable of hiding forever. They will be found and they will meet the same end as Elijah."

Her eyes flickered over the young witch. Bonnie Bennett still channeled the magic of two dozen dead witches, but still she couldn't find them. She was beginning to think the young woman was having second thoughts.

"You wouldn't be trying to protect them, would you Bonnie?"

A line appeared between her brows. There was no hesitation behind her head shake.

"I want them found. They fled this town with my friends."

"Yes," Esther murmured, "why is that?" She might have thought Klaus was planning to create an army, but the full moon had passed them by and hybrids were easier to track; so far the only ones found were the ones that had remained behind in Mystic Falls. "Why did they take Elena Gilbert with them?"

"Maybe to keep you from using her blood," Bonnie shrugged.

"Really," Esther cocked an eyebrow. "It has nothing to do with the life growing inside of her?"

The blood drained from Bonnie's face. She had been so careful not to reveal Elena's condition to the Original witch.

"Damon let the information slip shortly before leaving to confront Kol," Esther inspected the map laid out, "he was muttering about her 'poor taste' and 'monstrous children'."

It was a good thing Damon had been found dead because if he was still alive Bonnie would have made him suffer greatly for telling Esther about her friend. She frowned and met Esther's dark eyes.

"You know," she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "and you still want to kill your children? I was certain you'd want to help them."

"Those children should have never been conceived," Esther sighed, "and their existence does not change my sentiments towards my own children."

"What are you planning for Elena?" Bonnie crossed her arms. She might have wanted the Originals dead and the balance of nature protected but she didn't want to hurt her friend.

"As it is too late in the pregnancy to terminate without harming Elena I will wait. There is no reason for her to come to harm," she knelt before the low table. In her time among the living Esther had learned several things about her ally, and she knew the girl was loyal; if Bonnie thought she intended her friend harm she would stop helping her, and she needed the young witch's aid since her children seemed to have taken up with a very powerful witch of their own.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

The flat voice was devoid of emotion that alone was enough to raise his concern. His blood shot eyes lifted from the stained pages and traced her drawn features. She was pale, and her limbs were weak. Her eyes were hollow, drained of their usual warmth, but he thought he saw something like curiosity in her furrowed brows and downturned lips.

Glancing down at the nearest grimoire he debated telling her of his plan that suddenly felt foolish: the ramblings of a brother who couldn't move on. He was a lost soul, but then again, so was she. The others would have mocked him gently while giving him pitying looks, but she would latch on to the plan and throw herself into the hunt for answers. Would it break her if the hope he gave her was false, if it turned out that nothing would come of it? Would she be worse off than before? Would she return to her catatonic state? Would she withdraw further into herself to the point where no amount of sleep would bring her out of it?

"Evidently I have become a sentimental fool," he slammed the leather book closed. He had read through it twice from cover to cover and found nothing that would work.

Elena straightened in the door frame and stepped into the room. Her toes dragged over the red rug on the slow path to the dining room table and Klaus' mess of papers.

She pulled out the chair nearest to the grated fireplace and sat. Picking up a loose sheet of paper she frowned at the symbols.

"I'm looking," his eyes slid down from her face.

Elena followed his gaze and gently lifted the chain around her throat. The silver ring glittered in the bright light filtering down from the chandelier. Her eyes darted from the ring to him and finally to the papers on the table.

There was a hesitation in his eyes when she looked back up. Setting down the paper and dropping the ring she tilted her head and tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

False hope, he decided, was better than soul crushing anguish. Her eyes lit up with determination when he told her.

"What do I look for?" She pulled the sheet of symbols from his hand and flipped open a grimoire from the pile.

They were still flipping through pages and pages of spells when Kol found them a few hours later to tell Elena it was time for dinner.

* * *

Elena sat cross-legged on top of the mattress. A handful of leather bound books were spread around her, each open to a different page. The slip of paper Klaus had drawn out the symbols on was perched on her knee, but so far she had come up empty.

She was not about to give up though. He had planted the idea in her head and she would be damned if she stopped looking after the first few hours.

It was possible she was being delusional, but the need to hold on to something, to anything, was all encompassing. The thought that they could bring him back lifted some of the weight from her chest.

She wanted to keep looking. There were still three grimoires on her bed to go through, but she was starting to go cross-eyed.

She blinked to clear her vision of the tiny print and turned her head towards the door where a gentle knock drew her attention. It opened when she called out gently.

"Alright, darling?"

She managed a small smile for Kol as he poked his head into the room, but she knew it didn't reach her tired eyes; it was clear when he stepped inside and approached the bed.

"Please tell me you're not about to stop sleeping again," he sat beside her and reached for a book. He recognized the leather bound volume as one he and Lexa had brought from New Orleans. "Are you taking up a new hobby, love?"

"I suppose I am," she shrugged one shoulder and set her cheat sheet aside.

He tilted his head and turned the sheet of paper around; Klaus' handwriting was easily recognized. The combination of symbols made it clear what she was trying to find.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me crazy or delusional…"

"I didn't say anything," he held up his hands defensively.

"You were thinking it," she accused with a roll of her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, daring him to contradict her.

He sighed and closed the grimoires after marking the pages with post it notes. He chewed over his words for a moment while stacking the books on her nightstand.

"Death is… its pretty permanent, Elena."

"There's always a loophole." She shook her head. "People come back all the time: Jeremy, Matt, Ric, my uncle…"

"All with the use of a ring made by a Bennett witch…"

"A ring created to get around death…"

"Provided the body was still intact," he cocked an eyebrow.

Her eyes narrowed in a glare.

"Be a cynic if you like, but I'm going to keep looking," she reached for the top book in the stack. She simmered with anger; the emotion took her by surprise after her weeks of grief.

His brows furrowed, eyes darting to his hand around her wrist. Heat licked up his skin, running through his veins until he felt his blood boil. He suspected the only thing that stopped it was the surprise when she felt his palm grow abnormally warm against her skin.

"What was that?" She dropped the book and took his hand. Her fingers swept over his cooling skin.

"The babies will have inherited magic from us," he cleared his throat and hurried on before she could dwell on the 'us'. "My guess is that you're channeling their power."

"I have magic?" She bit her bottom lip.

"Until they're born," he nodded.

She let go of him and flattened her palms over the swell of her abdomen. The babies had been still in her womb before she had grown upset, but now they were twisting and turning creating a swirling sensation in her body that put her in mind of the drop from the top of a rollercoaster.

"That means I've got about five months to find a way to bring him back," she hummed and reached for the book again.

He pulled it from her hand.

"Kol," she bit back her exasperated sigh.

He dropped the book and took her shoulders in his hands, squeezing gently to coax her into looking at him.

"You need to sleep, love."

"I have to keep looking," she insisted.

"You can look in the morning," he reasoned.

"How do I know you're not going to take the books?"

"I'm not going to stop you, love." He shook his head. Truthfully, he was glad she was focusing on something other than her grief. "I'll even help you, but for now you need to sleep."

"One more book," her eyes flickered to the nightstand.

"In the morning," he stood and pushed her backwards until she was lying against the pillows.

"But…" She could feel the exhaustion creeping in, her eyelids began to droop; she knew she was fighting a losing battle. "I'm not tired…" she murmured.

"Go to sleep, darling," he lifted a blanket over her body with a soft chuckle.

"You know," a hushed voice came from the door, "for a thousand year old vampire you've got the whole parenting thing down."

"I'm just getting in some practice," Kol straightened the books and turned off the lamp plunging the room into darkness.

"I don't think you need it," Lexa backed up as he stepped into the hall. With a flick of her fingers she drew the door closed.

"Trust me, darling," his smirk was self-deprecating, "I'm far more damaged than I appear."

His amusement fell away quickly. He had heard her heart in the hall and suspected she had heard most of the conversation. In his thousand years on earth he had never heard of a spell to bring back a lost loved one, but then again, he had never felt the need to search for one; perhaps she had.

"Do you think it's possible?"

"Bringing him back?" She started down the hall alongside him. "I think anything is possible, provided you have the right ingredients, enough nerve and power."

"Could anyone have that much power?" He shook his head at the thought while longing for his own magic.

"I don't know…" she trailed off when she spotted an old black and white photograph on the wall. Her great-grandparents stared out of the frame. Two perpendicular scars ran across the right cheek of Alexander D'Ambry. His voice echoed in her mind:  _'as part of the initiation ritual of the Kindred they scar their members'… 'New Orleans is the home of your ancestors.'_

She didn't want to give him false hope but the power she had felt in New Orleans, the ancestral magic seeping through the earth, had been exquisite.

"Maybe," she glanced up over her shoulder, "if you had the right spell."

* * *

The world was overly bright and yet dark. Covered in a haze so thick it was impossible to make out the features of anyone else passing through the fog; like a photograph developed from a film that had been left out in the sun.

Every now and then a snippet of conversation would slither through the condensation, but the source was never found.

He suspected the words came from the others, the ones he couldn't see clearly.

How long had he been there? Where was there? What had happened to him? Was she alright? Was she safe?

He needed to find her. He had to ensure her safety.

The moment the thought entered his head a voice reached out through the fog: her voice. She was calling his name. The fear in her tone drew him to the right.

She called again, more desperate than before and he started to run.

His feet made little more than a whisper of sound against the pavement. The path over the empty street passed in a blur until he came to a stop outside a wrought iron gate as her voice quieted.

He peered into the absolute darkness beyond the threshold from which a deafening silence was emanating. Tilting his head he called into the void.

"Elena?"

For a long moment there was nothing. He stood tense while waiting for a reply, certain that this was where he had heard her.

He was about to back away when she called again in a terrified scream, but before he could race into the dark his body was knocked over.

Familiar weight pressed into him. Familiar hair curtained his face. Familiar hands pinned his shoulders. Familiar features stared down at him. Familiar… familiar… familiar…

Everything about the woman straddling his thighs was familiar, but not quite right; her expression neither warm, conniving nor guarded. The look in her eyes was that of a woman severely annoyed with her lot in life, and the way she was glaring at him made her innermost thoughts clear.

He was her latest burden.

"Are you out of your damn mind?"

He sat up when she shifted and knelt on the ground beside him. His eyes darted to the gate where he could still hear her horror filled sobs.

"I'm out of something," he murmured.

"Clearly your mind," she scoffed. Her hand grasped his sleeve before he could move toward the gate again. "Trust me, sweetie, you don't want to go through there."

"She's in trouble," he got to his feet.

She jumped up and stood in front of him. The cold receded the closer he moved her to the silent gate, but it was not a warmth she welcomed.

"Listen to me," she planted her hands on his chest, "whoever you think you hear is not there, and if you walk through that gate chances are you'll never come back out."

Her chest tightened with fear. It twisted in her gut making the pit of her stomach fall away.

He paused, finally, and looked down into her flashing eyes.

"It's a trick," she inhaled sharply. "The loneliness of purgatory is a picnic compared to what's through that gate."

"Who are you?" He took a step back and watched her arms fall to her sides.

She followed him quickly, eager to put distance between herself and the void. Once the gate was shrouded in fog she relaxed visibly and met his eyes.

"I'm the idiot who was nearly sucked back into hell saving your ass," she gestured to him.

"I was hoping more for your name," he crossed his arms.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she mirrored his stance. He might have been the first person she could clearly interact with, but her time on the other side of the gate had instilled a sense of secretiveness in her; a name was a powerful thing, a link to the soul.

"Elijah," his eyes flickered over her clothes: a black skirt that fell below her knees and a sleeveless plaid button down. The casual attire reminded him of the sixties.

"V," she pushed her hair back over her shoulder and rolled her eyes when he gave her an inquisitive look. "Vanessa," she started away into the fog, "but it was always such a mouthful."

His eyes darted from her body that was quickly being shrouded in fog, to the outline of the gate and the voice he could still hear.

He hesitated before following after her because he thought he might be going crazy. He thought he might be imagining her or projecting the face he wanted to see most, but ultimately he hastened into the fog for one simple reason: she was the first person he had seen who might be capable of providing substantial answers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know Julie said at some point that there were only three, but then Qetsiyah said she was forced to watch them find each other again and again from the Other Side. I have this headcanon that when one dies another is born and that the ones we saw on the show were the ones that were located by the Original family at some point in their lives.
> 
> Anyway, as always I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. I'm thinking chapters for this story will be between 1500-3000 words from now on so nothing gets bogged down.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO.

February 13 – 20 Weeks

* * *

"Will you stop and talk to me please?" Elijah jogged to catch up with her. She had begun her retreat at a brisk walk before he had seen her spine stiffen; something had spooked her and turned her skeleton to steel.

"I can still hear it," she gasped, coming to a stop.

With her hands braced on her thighs she bent and sucked in greedy mouthfuls of the heavy air. It still amazed her that she could become breathless anymore, but perhaps that was part of the deal in purgatory. Her body was doomed to remain as it had been, never to grow old or change, and her mind was destined for solitude.

"I don't hear anything," he frowned, tilting his head.

She straightened up and rubbed the stitch in her side.

"Of course not, sugar," she rolled her eyes. "Nobody's trying to reclaim your soul." He wouldn't have heard them unless he was close.

"What are you talking about?" He shook his head, eyes darting to the misty streets and vague outlines of bodies. Her words had to be some sort of joke. If he hadn't known any better he would have said Katerina was before him and having him on, but he had always prided himself on knowing the difference between doppelgangers and this 'V' was not a woman he had ever met before.

There was only one plausible explanation; his mother had him incapacitated somewhere and was creating the mindscape in which he resided, probably to extract information. The best way to deal with his mother was to play along until he knew what she wanted.

"Where are we?"

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head that was spouting Shakespeare in a dramatic voice. She stared for a long moment before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh," her mouth popped open, "you're new." Squaring her shoulders she placed her hands on her hips. "Now don't flip your wig; it's pretty heavy."

"Go on," he chuckled. He was impressed with her slang. Although why his mother would bother with the rune was beyond his comprehension. If she wanted information she would have done a better job if she had sent Elena; he doubted there was anything he would have kept from her.

"Sure you wouldn't rather get blitzed first?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"I prefer to receive my bad news sober," he smirked.

"Just as well," she shrugged, "there's no booze around here anyway." Looking into his eyes she considered how best to tell him before finally blurting it out; there was no gentle way to break this kind of news. "You're dead."

The amusement in his eyes took her by surprise. Most people she had seen broke down, or denied the truth. Nobody had ever laughed in the face of their recent demise.

"Death is not easily achieved easily for someone like me."

 _Amused denial,_  she tilted her head,  _that's new._

"Is it possible?"

"I'm not dead," his eyes hardened.

She could have walked away and left him to deal with his problem on his own, but she was not the type. Not even her time beyond the gate had been able to stomp out her desire to help; it had just thinned her patience, and destroyed the filter between her brain and her mouth. She had enough sense to realize that wanting to help was the thing that had sent her running through the gate. Typically he hunted the most damaged souls; souls blackened by stolen lives.

"What were you doing before you came here?" She took a step closer and looked him up and down. "You're decked out for something."

"I was…" he paused when he found the memory fuzzy, shrouded in a layer of fog thicker that that surrounding them. He ignored her expectant look and thought back until he summoned an image of Elena in a blue lace dress. "I was at a party."

"Can you remember how you got here?" V tilted her head. She was unsurprised when he responded in the negative. She had been there for years and still found the details frustratingly vague. She remembered a dark alley on a humid night; she cut through the cool lane, using it as a shortcut home, and never made it to the other side at least not 'the other side' she was looking for. She didn't know what had happened and she wasn't sure which was worse: the unknown or her over-active imagination.

"Well, you think about that," she started backwards, jabbing her thumbs over her left shoulder, "and I'll just be over here prepping the welcome wagon."

She didn't know how much time had passed when he rejoined her; it could have been minutes or it could have been decades. The passage of time moved differently in the mist, and differently than the other side of the gate. She didn't think it had been that long though; she was still trying to ward off the soul chilling cold.

"Accept the truth yet?" She glanced back over her shoulder.

"I was stabbed," he heard his voice like a whisper through the fog. He could almost see bits and pieces of the recounted scene playing out in the mist: Tristan, Elena's look of urgency, a wooden stake and flames.

V whistled and stared into the mist.

"Impressive; I remember turning down an alley and then nothing."

Elijah watched her brow furrow in confusion; it was a memory she had clearly been dwelling on since coming to terms with her own death.

"Did you live a particularly violent life, Vanessa?"

She stared for a moment before remembering that 'Vanessa' was the name she had given him. Even here, in the safety of the fog, she feared the consequences of any learning her name.

"No," she shook her head, "I did not, and V is fine."

"Is that because Vanessa is not your true name?"

"What does the way I lived have to do with anything?" She countered, effectively changing the subject and confirming his inquiry.

"The more exposed you are to violence the better you are at remembering it. Assuming your death was violent then your mind could be shielding you from the trauma of remembering."

"I think that makes me feel worse about my own death."

"How about you distract yourself from those thoughts and tell me what is through that gate?"

"It's a portal to Hell," she swallowed.

"I see," he hummed, "and is there a 'portal' to the land of the living?"

"I thought we established that you're dead?"

"There's always a way V."

"Got something to live for?"

"Many things," he nodded, "my family, the woman I love and our unborn child."

"Child?" V's brows shot up. "But… you… you're…"

"A vampire," he supplied, "but it is possible to conceive under special circumstances."

It took her a moment to recover and process the information.

"The woman…" her teeth sank into her bottom lip in an all too familiar expression. "Is she human?"

"She's alive," he nodded.

"That means the baby is to," V tilted her head. "A living relative," she hummed, "you might just make it out of here; provided you've got a powerful enough witch who can find the right spell."

"So there is a way then?"

"I heard rumors…" she met his eyes, "… whispers on the other side of the gate of an Irish spell; uses the blood of the living to return those who were lost. Some sort of knot symbolized it..."

V trailed off when she caught the determined look in his eyes.

"Is it possible to get a message to the living?" In his mind he saw a green grimoire and a triskele.

"I might be able to help with that," she hummed. Her lips rose in a smirk. "Although why you'd ever want to leave this place is a mystery."

"Well," he snickered, "I never did get that welcome wagon."

"Right," she laughed, and found she couldn't remember the last time she had made that sound.

* * *

Goosebumps rose on her kin. Shivering she rolled over and burrowed further into the bed until she was buried under the heavy quilt.

She was somewhere between waking and dreaming when mist began to trickle in through the open window, wrapping around the wrought iron gate at the foot of the bed.

The sight of the gate made her bolt upright.

The tips of her fingers sank into wet grass. Dew clung to her hands and feet but there was no sign of morning; the sun was an eternity from rising to banish the endless night.

The cold seeped into her bones as she stood and took a hesitant step towards the gate, but she hadn't gone three steps when whispers slithered through the heavy fog.

Tensing, she pressed a protective hand to her abdomen and tried to make sense of the syllables in the smog.

"Who's there?" She berated herself for the loud cry the moment the voices grew quiet. Calling into the darkness when there was a witch out for her blood was a very bad idea.

A shadow moved through the fog, indiscernible in shape; her heart began to pound wildly. Slowly, the androgynous figure grew bigger. She kept her eyes glued to the shadow, as if she thought looking away for a split second would increase it's speed, and made a slow retreat. She could have gone faster but she couldn't see her path and the cold seemed to have seeped the last of the energy from her limbs.

Frozen metal stopped her in her tracks and bit into her flesh. The clanging of the gate echoed back against the mist and the shadow blurred.

A scream rose in her throat.

* * *

He was halfway down the hall when he heard it. From behind her bedroom door her sleeping heart accelerated. The sound of distress sent him through the door.

He pressed his palm to her brow. Expecting to find her burning with a fever he recoiled when he felt the cold like ice was running through her veins.

"Elena," he shook her shoulder.

Her eyes darted back and forth beneath her lids but she didn't wake up. Her breath shook. It sounded as if she was saying something but he couldn't make out the words. All he knew was that after she mumbled her heart seemed to pound faster.

"Elena," he shook her again.

"What's going on in here?" Jeremy poked his head inside. He had been heading downstairs for a glass of water when he heard the sharp cry.

"She won't wake up," Klaus glanced up. His eyes fell back to Elena when her heart began to slow.

"And why are you trying to wake her up?" Jeremy sighed. Weren't they supposed to let her get enough sleep?

"She is… she was having a nightmare," he shook his head, "and she's freezing."

"Then warm her up," Jeremy turned from the bed. He pulled open the closet and took a couple of extra blankets from the shelf.

Ten minutes later she was still shivering under the additional blankets so Klaus lit the fire. The heat swelled in the room until Klaus and Jeremy felt sweat beading on their skin and still she shivered.

"She should be warm," Jeremy bent to feel his sister's cheek. She felt like a block of ice.

Klaus agreed before flashing from the room in search of Lexa. He found her sprawled across a couch in the study, an open book on her stomach. Kol had nodded off in the chair beside her.

He hesitated before reaching for her shoulder, half-expecting to find her as cold as Elena, but her skin was a normal temperature. She groaned when he shook her awake.

"Five more minutes, Sylvie," she mumbled, rolling onto her side without opening her eyes.

The book fell to the floor with a dull thud, startling Kol awake.

"What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes.

Klaus ignored him and shook the blonde's shoulder again.

"Rise and shine, little witch," he avoided her arm when she tried to smack him. "What are you doing?" He caught her wrist.

"Looking for the snooze button," her fingers flexed. She glared at him through her lashes.

"I'm not an alarm clock."

"You're acting like one," she shut her eyes against the light.

"You probably should get up darling," Kol stood from his chair. "At the very least you should go to bed."

"I'm comfy," she protested sleepily.

"I don't care how comfortable you are," Klaus snapped, "I need your help waking Elena."

Lexa sat up slowly and frowned, eyes searching blearily for a clock.

"It's the middle of the night," Kol gave him a pointed look.

"Something's wrong."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always enjoy reading your reviews


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO

"How long has she been like this?" Lexa pressed her palm to Elena's cool brow and hissed. She retracted her hand as if it had been burnt and inspected the beginning stage of frost bite on her skin; the tips of her fingers were cold to the touch.

"Twenty minutes," Jeremy checked his watch.

"And you waited until now to wake me?" She spun on him and the hybrid. "What were you thinking?"

"She seemed fine," Klaus wiped a layer of sweat from his brow, "just cold."

"Cold," Lexa scoffed, rolling her eyes, "she's a human popsicle."

She rubbed her hands together, back and forth, until her fingers tingled. Once the blood was flowing she took a deep breath, placed the very tips of her fingers over Elena's temples, and closed her eyes. It was the strangest feeling when the fog filled her mind; through the mist she thought she heard voices, but they scurried by on the swift paws of church mice.

She waded through the condensation, peering past the wall of grey in search of her target. She was just beginning to see the shape forming when her body was wrenched backwards.

She grimaced against the invasion of copper that flooded her mouth and tried to spit it out only to have a hand hold her lips closed until she swallowed. A few seconds later the violent shivers, she hadn't realized were wracking her body, stopped and her eyes fluttered open.

"Maybe a different tactic," Kol breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Klaus sat on the edge of the bed. He felt Elena's brow as her skin warmed beneath his hand.

* * *

A strong hand stifled her scream. Another grabbed her waist and pulled her close until she was pressed to a firm chest.

She struggled against the hands, twisting and pushing to try and get away as her heart pounded. She was surprised it didn't burst from her chest. She could hardly hear anything beyond the quick 'thump-thump', but eventually the whispered voice penetrated her mind.

"Relax, and don't scream."

She froze when she recognized the smooth timber. It couldn't be him, could it?

She was scared to look, scared of what horror her sleeping mind had cooked up, but everything around her seemed real. It felt real. She could feel the firm press of his palms against her waist and mouth.

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as she worked up the nerve to open her eyes. The frigid air stilled in her lungs, catching in her throat when she finally looked up.

Her fingers lifted, inching upwards as he lowered his hand. She traced the line of his lapel and the shadow along his jaw before sliding through the silken strands of hair. His palm pressed her delicate hand closer, trapping her against his cheek.

"Elijah?" Her voice trembled; it was hard to speak around the lump in her throat.

"Elena," he turned his head so he could kiss her palm.

She threw her arms around his neck and felt her heart leap when he returned her embrace. She would have stood there forever, or at least until she went into labour.

"We haven't got much time," he murmured against her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"You can't stay here," he rubbed her back. "I met someone who heard of a way to bring someone back."

"We've been looking," she leaned back, just far enough to look in his eyes.

"I think you have it," his hands slid down her back and around to the small swell of her stomach. "Literally," he glanced down. "The spell is in Gaelic and is symbolized by a triskele."

"Triskele?" Elena's teeth began to chatter. In her mind's eye she saw a green grimoire.

"Yes," he pressed a kiss to her brow, "you have to leave."

"I don't want to leave you," she shook her head stubbornly.

"You have to," he held her hips, "you're alive Elena, and you don't belong here."

He felt her slipping through his fingers before she vanished and he was left holding the mist. He released a shaking breath when he sensed the presence of another person beside him.

"A polite person would pretend not to notice the tears in your eyes," V crossed her arms, "but you'll find manners don't get you far over here."

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the moisture. Folding the white material into a neat square he looked up to watch her face.

"Did you get your message through?" She tilted her head. "I would have come over to help, but I didn't dare leave the flame. It's ridiculously hard lighting a fire in this place."

"I did," he nodded, "thank you."

"What did I just tell you about manners?" She smirked.

"If it's all the same to you I think I'll keep my manners, V," he chuckled.

* * *

"Why is it so hot in here?" Elena rolled over and tried to toss off the heavy blankets with a groan. She sighed in relief when the cooler air filtered around her limbs and sat up.

"You seemed intent on turning into a popsicle," Klaus helped her sit up.

"Popsicle," she mumbled, "that sounds really good right now." She blinked, attempting to clear the fog in her mind.

"You must have been having a good dream," Kol came around and knelt beside her bed. "You refused to wake up."

"I was dreaming…" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I was dreaming about something… something important…" she looked away from the worried faces and squinted at the fire. "It's all… foggy."

Elena turned her attention back to them. A glance out the window showed her that day was still hours away. She blinked, refocusing, when a hand was pressed to her forehead.

"You gave us all a good scare," he tilted his head, listening to the babies' hearts. "How do you feel?"

How did she feel? There was a lump in her throat as though she were on the verge of tears, or had been very recently, but her blood felt like it was humming through her veins; similar to a caffeine buzz. She ran through the list of words that might have described her emotions in that moment: sad, happy, afraid, and over-joyed. It was one of the strangest combinations she had ever felt and she had no idea how to react to it.

"I feel fine," she swallowed. It was true; Kol seemed mainly concerned with her physical well-being in that moment. There was no need to trouble him with the hazy memory of a dream that had left her rattled: shaken to her core.

Why couldn't she remember it?

Try as she might she could only summon the faint memory of Elijah and the assurance that what he had told her was important; it was something that would change everything, but the words were faint.

Her eyes flickered around the room in the hopes that something would jog the memory and return the vestiges of the dream that she remembered as feeling so real. The flickering fire, gathered family and friends, and floral wallpaper did nothing. She looked again and saw her hand reach out unbidden for a green book on her nightstand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here's the deal: I am making a New May Resolution to write something everyday. And for the sake of all of you out there waiting patiently for the next installments of my stories I have set a new schedule that I will stick to like glue unless a family member ends up in the hospital or there is some sort of emergency in my life.
> 
> This is the schedule on which I will work on the stories. They might not necessarily be updated once a week, but they will be worked on.
> 
> Monday: Strong, Ageless, Fearless
> 
> Tuesday: Temporarily Changed
> 
> Wednesday: Who Are You?
> 
> Thursday: Clarity
> 
> Friday: Addicted
> 
> Saturday: Second Chances
> 
> Sunday: One Shots, and if there is no inspiration for one I'll work on another story instead.


	13. Chapter 13

February 13, 20 Weeks

* * *

"You've been staring at that book for hours," Lexa stood in the door to the kitchen. She tilted her head and examined the table: scattered papers, laptop, open grimoire, an empty plate, and a glass with a skiff of milk along the bottom.

Elena looked up when the blonde stepped into the room.

Lexa approached the table and picked up the dishes.

"You don't have to do that," Elena stood and reached for the plate and glass. "I'll clean up."

"You're my guest," Lexa waved her back down.

"You've got a lot of guests," Elena took the dishes away; "it would be very rude of me to make you clean up after me all the time." She walked around the counter and rinsed the glass and plate beneath a stream of water before loading them in the dishwasher.

Lexa perched on the edge of a stool and tilted her head as Elena began wiping down the counter, cleaning up the crumbs she had left earlier. She motioned over her shoulder and hooked her feet around the legs of the chair.

"Want to tell me what that's all about?"

Elena bit her lip. She had only the vaguest memory of the dream from the previous night and she had been hesitant to reveal what she did remember. People were going to think she was being delusional.

"You'll think I'm crazy," she shook her head.

"I'm a witch playing host to the Original vampires and the doppelganger carrying miracle babies," Lexa arched an eyebrow, "I don't think there's anything you could say that would make me think that you've lost your mind."

Elena flattened her palm over the flutter in her abdomen and ran her tongue along her teeth.

"Do you remember the other night?"

"The night of the human popsicle?" Lexa guessed.

Elena nodded. "I think… I think I saw him…"

"Who?" Lexa tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Elijah," she murmured.

Lexa had to lean closer to catch the admission. She was prepared to reassure the brunette that she had been dreaming, but then she remembered the mystical fog that had flooded her mind and the way Kol had to give her blood when she nearly killed herself trying to reach Elena's consciousness; her consciousness that had been far away from her body.

"Tell me," she crossed her arms on the counter.

"I was asleep," Elena blinked at the marble pattern of the counter, "and then it was like I was awake, but I wasn't. There was this gate in front of me, and fog everywhere. I remember feeling really cold, and I was terrified because someone was coming towards me."

Lexa nodded in encouragement, but didn't say anything. The air around Elena seemed to be charged with a soft energy and she didn't want to disturb it until she was done.

"I was scared and then… then he was there, and I was happy," she blinked back her tears, but felt one slip down her cheek. "I would have stood there forever, but I couldn't stay. I think he told me I couldn't stay." She took a halting breath as she got to the part she was nervous to reveal, the bit that would make her sound insane.

"It's faint, the memory," she looked up, "but I think… I think…" she released a shuddering breath. "He told me about a way to help…"

Lexa came around the side of the table when she started crying in earnest, wrapping her arms around the trembling brunette. She ran a soothing hand through Elena's hair and pressed a section of paper towel into her palm. When she had calmed down enough Lexa directed her attention back to the table.

"That's what the grimoire is for?"

"I think that's the spell," Elena swallowed. She walked around and turned the grimoire so Lexa could see the triskele and Gallic writing.

"How sure are you?" Lexa ran her fingers over the faded script.

"Positive," Elena twisted the damp paper towel in her hands. "I just can't seem to translate it."

"Okay," Lexa nodded, "then it's time we took a little trip."

* * *

Elena tipped her head back and stared up. The skylight revealed rolling clouds and let in a weak light that just reached the five floors. Each storey of the building came together in the center to look down on a study space beneath the glass.

"Watch your step, love," Rebekah took Elena's arm, steering her around the desk she had nearly walked into.

"Thanks," Elena murmured.

"Try to keep up," Lexa called back.

Elena stifled a soft giggle when the witch's voice brought a round of shushing from the desks. She covered her mouth and followed along.

"Why are we here?" Elena kept her voice low, partly in respect to the people studying, but mostly because there was a sense of calm in the air that she didn't want to break.

"The library's collection dates from the Peabody Institute in 1857," Lexa whispered back.

"And he dedicated it to the citizens of Baltimore in appreciation of their kindness and hospitality," Rebekah drawled.

"Precisely," Lexa's eyes sparkled when she looked back. "The library was opened in 1878 and contains nearly 300,000 volumes mainly from the 19th century, but did you know about the west wing?"

"I know it was built before the Institute," Rebekah blinked as they passed into the older building. "It was the Original institute and it opened in 1866."

"There were rumors at the time," Lexa lowered her voice as they passed a study nook, "of a coming witch hunt, so the covens of the city came together to hide anything that might indict them. All of their grimoires were moved to a hidden room in the west wing."

Elena frowned when they came to a wall covered in a floor to ceiling bookshelf and watched as Lexa bent at the waist. She pulled on an old copy of Great Expectations from the bottom shelf, and the Scarlet Pimpernel on the third. When the books were out a few inches she placed her palm against the sixth shelf high above her head and murmured something under her breath in Latin.

Elena and Rebekah might have gasped in surprise or shown some sort of emotion that betrayed how impressed they were, but the truth was they had seen stranger things than hidden doors.

Lexa led the way into the room and closed the door behind her. A second incantation lit the gas lamps along the walls.

"The witches kept everything hidden away until the frenzy passed, but instead of taking things back when it was safe they decided to begin a library of their own. Its upkeep is taken care of by some of the more prominent families in the covens."

Lexa crossed to a shelf on the right side of the room and ran her finger over the spine of the binders stacked there. She pulled down one covered in Celtic knots.

"It's a reference section for a very specific type of knowledge, including, but not limited to, extinct languages." She spun around to face her companions and wiggled the binder in the air.

"That's…" Elena couldn't speak around the sudden lump in her throat.

"This will help translate your spell," Lexa smiled.

* * *

It was late when the door opened again to admit the three women who had been out on what half of them believed to be a wild goose chase.

"How did it go?" Kol looked up from the spells he had been studying.

Klaus felt his heart plummet when he saw Elena's face, tear streaked and blotchy from crying. Her entire body seemed to tremble and was only standing upright with the aid of Rebekah.

"No," his hand shook. He suspected the only thing that kept him from screaming and tearing apart Lexa's living room was the slim hand Caroline slipped against his palm.

"We…" Elena's teeth sank into her bottom lip to stop the trembling, "we…"

Kol crossed the room and took her shoulders, but it was Rebekah who answered the question when it became clear Elena couldn't speak around her emotions.

"We found it," Rebekah breathed. Excitement hummed through her veins.

"You…" Kol looked from Rebekah to Elena and finally to Lexa. Elena was nodding quickly, her eyes shimmering with hope and unshed tears. "Can you do it?"

Lexa felt every pair of eyes on her when he uttered the question. She nodded slowly.

"I've got everything I need," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "the blood of a living relative," she nodded to Elena, "and the proper mix of herbs as well as the incantation…"

"What is it?" Kol rubbed Elena's upper arms when Lexa trailed off. "What are you missing?"

Lexa bit her bottom lip.

"Lexa," he met the witch's eyes.

"I need more power," she admitted. "I haven't got enough of it on my own."

"You need something to channel, sweetheart?" Klaus drew in a deep breath. He was already compiling a list of things that might work.

"No," she shook her head. "I just need a change of scenery," she lifted her brows. "I know where I can access the power I need."

Lexa saw the moment Kol realized what she was saying when his jaw tightened. She needed something to channel and she knew the perfect place to find the power required for the spell.

"Find something else," he shook his head. The blood had drained from his face.

"There is nothing else," Lexa shook her head. "The amount of power I can access is more than what I'll need."

"You were nearly killed," Kol shook his head. "I don't want to risk your life for a spell that might not even work."

"What if it does?" Elena grasped his elbows.

"What if it doesn't?"

"It could work," Rebekah crossed her arms. "I read the spell myself."

"It's too risky," Kol shook his head. "Magic, for whatever reason, is outlawed and punishable by death. If I hadn't been there with you," he turned his gaze back to Lexa, "you would have been killed."

His eyes found Elena's; he wanted to believe the spell would work, but he couldn't help the doubt in his mind.

"If it doesn't work you'll be devastated again," he tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't want to risk your health, our child, my niece, or Lexa's life on a spell that might not work."

Klaus released Caroline's hand and took a step towards Lexa. He looked the short woman over once before meeting her eyes and tilting his head.

"Could you do this somewhere else?"

"I don't know," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I know there's enough power in New Orleans: nine covens of dead witches, my own magic, and nature. I can do it there."

"You're positive?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes," she nodded.

"Alright then," Klaus nodded.

Lexa frowned when he disappeared in a rush of wind. There was a beat of silence before Elena screamed.

She spun around to see Rebekah holding the pregnant brunette back, Klaus holding something against his brother's chest, and Kol slowly turning grey.

Elena struggled against Rebekah and get to Kol as he fell. In her mind she saw another Original and was half convinced he was about to burst into flames as Elijah had done. She dropped to her knees when Kol was placed on the floor and scrambled for the dagger only to have her hands grasped.

Klaus held her wrists in one hand and lifted her chin with the other after pulling the vervain necklace from her throat. His pupils dilated slightly when he met her eyes.

"You will not remove this dagger until I tell you to, do you understand me love?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Elena glared at him but repeated back to the instruction through gritted teeth.

"Will the two of you require compulsion as well?" Klaus lifted his head and looked towards Caroline and Jeremy. He stood when they said nothing and turned to Lexa. "How about you?"

Her eyes darted from him to Kol and back, skirting over the mystical dagger embedded in his heart. Her fingers itched to remove the blade.

"Witches can't be compelled," her eyes narrowed.

"True, but I think you'll see reason," he searched her angry gaze. "He will not be getting in the way of the spell and the dagger can be removed as soon as you're done."

Elena lifted her eyes to Rebekah who gave a small shake of her head. The Original's eyes reflected her trepidation; there was a dagger with her name on it if she went against Klaus.

"Pack your bags, love," Klaus smirked at Lexa's stony glare. "The sooner we get to New Orleans the sooner Kol can rejoin us all."

* * *

She tossed the final piece of wood in the fire and watched as it burnt down to ash; it was not every last chunk but it was all that she could get her hands on. Only the piece with the witches remained.

"I still can't believe you're helping," Stefan frowned at the flames.

"I may be a psychotic bitch, Stefan," she pushed her hair behind her ears, "and I may hate Klaus and want him dead, but I don't have a death wish."

"You do realize you're now saving his life," he smirked, "the man that wants your head on a stick."

"I know," she shrugged, "maybe, just maybe, this will buy my freedom."

"You'd have to find him first," Stefan cocked an eyebrow.

His eyes tracked the movement as she stamped out the last of the small fire and piled the ashes neatly in a mason jar. She screwed the lid shut and looked up.

"What?" She heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Just you," Stefan shook his head, "being helpful and doing something for the greater good. It screams Elena Gilbert not Katherine Pierce."

"I've got my own selfish reasons," she tossed him the ashes. "If Klaus dies then I die. Trust me Stefan this is all self-serving."

"Why are you giving me this?" He tilted the jar, warm in his hand.

"Because I know better than to get within three states of Klaus, but you have an in," she rolled her eyes. "Take that to him, because I'm sure Rebekah's told you where they're hiding out and I'll attempt to get the Bennett witch to switch sides. If you run into Elena be sure to torment her for me."

"There's the Katherine I know and hate," Stefan got to his feet.

* * *

A broad smile stretched her mouth as the blood finally settled revealing a moving target on the map.

Bonnie worried her bottom lip as the locator spell took effect. She reached into her back pocket for her vibrating cell phone as Esther watched the spell.

She read the text silently and felt her eyes widen.

**I wanted to speak in person, but you're proving hard to find Bon-Bon. – Katherine**

**You have to stop helping the Original witch bitch. – Katherine**

**_Why should I listen to you?_ **

**Because I have a sense of self-preservation. – Katherine**

Bonnie glanced up from the picture of dozens of dead vampires to find Esther still watching the map. She looked down again as the next message came in.

**This is Elijah's entire sire line twenty minutes after he was killed. You kill an Original and their entire bloodline dies with them. – Katherine**

**_How do I know you're not lying or playing some twisted game?_ **

**Because I'm willingly protecting Klaus. – Katherine.**

* * *

Elena tapped her fingers over her thigh and stared out the window as they slowed down to take the turn. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she watched the twinkling stars, but clamped down when a bird flew at the glass, drawing blood and a startled shriek.

"What is it?" Rebekah twisted around, slamming on the breaks.

Elena pushed open the door when they stopped and ran back along the shoulder of the road as Klaus pulled up behind the BMW. She knelt, wiping the blood from her lip and pushing her hair from her face. The headlights from the Jeep illuminated the small bird with iridescent wings.

Bile rose in her throat when the creature's leg twitched.

"Elena?" Klaus knelt beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder. He followed her nod to the bird he knew well; one of his mother's little pets.

 


	14. Chapter 14

February 14, 20 Weeks

* * *

 

Lexa’s heart fluttered when they pulled up outside the cemetery gates. The last time she had stood in that place bodies had littered the sidewalk and her favorite blouse had been ruined. She fingered the hem of her shirt, a near perfect replica of the top she’d had to burn, and tilted her head.

“Why here?” Klaus shut the car door with more force than necessary.

New Orleans was his favorite place in the world, and he had traversed nearly every corner of the planet, but being back in the city had him on edge. The last time he had stood in these streets the town he had practically built up from the ground had been on fire, curtesy of his father. He had lost friends that night and separated from Elijah, creating the wedge that had persisted for a century.

New Orleans was one of the few places his family had been truly happy, but it was also one of the places that he associated with pain. He had nearly died in the opera house and lost the vampire he had thought of as a son. New Orleans had torn his family apart and he still didn’t know why. He didn’t understand what mistake they had made to lead Mikael to them.

He pulled himself from his thoughts before he could dwell to long on the darkness. It was in the past and that was where it was going to stay; Mikael couldn’t terrorize them anymore, he had seen to that several months ago.

This time he would not be leaving the city without his brother at his side.

“When I was here before,” Lexa reached into the car for her bag, “Kol couldn’t enter the grounds,” she nodded to the gate. From the corner of her eye she saw Elena stiffen at the mention of Kol’s name. “The vampires that wanted to kill me couldn’t get in either. There’s some sort of barrier that keeps them out.”

“Doesn’t that mean we can’t enter?” Rebekah lifted a box of supplies for the spell and balanced it on her hip.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. You can’t enter, but neither can anyone that will want to kill me after I start the spell.”

“How are we meant to help then?” Caroline frowned at the iron gates.

“Stand watch,” Lexa shrugged. “I really only need Elena; she’s got the blood of a living relative.”

Elena turned back from the gates when she heard her name and found Rebekah shaking her head.

“It’s a lot of supplies,” Klaus cocked an eyebrow, nodding to the heavy bag over Lexa’s shoulder and the substantially sized box in Rebekah’s arms.

“I can take the box,” Elena’s voice was quiet as she stepped forward. She pulled the box into her arms before anyone could object and spent a few seconds trying to figure out the best way to carry it; it wasn’t that it was heavy, but the bump made it awkward. Over the last few weeks she had really popped and it was obvious to anyone that looked at her she was expecting; Jeremy had joked that she must have swallowed a basketball and drawn a true laugh from her, she thought that it might have been the first since the party.

A few more seconds of shifting passed before she hooked one arm over the top and rested the long side of the box against her hip. There was a slight twisting in her abdomen when the pressure settled.

“I could also take it,” Jeremy cleared his throat.

“I’ve got it,” Elena shook her head.

She felt like she needed to contribute more than just being present when the spell was performed. She fixed a small smile on her lips and stepped over the threshold onto the cobblestones.

“Besides,” Elena glanced over her shoulder, “you’ll be more use out here.”

“She’s got a point,” Lexa followed her inside, “Klaus, Rebekah and Caroline can watch the entrances, but they can’t enter. If we can’t answer our phones for any reason they’ll need someone who can come in and get us.”

“You can come with me Jeremy,” Rebekah nodded to the street, “we’ll watch the other entrance.”

Elena stiffened when Lexa’s hand brushed her elbow, steering her towards the center of the cemetery; at least she thought it was the center. It was hard to tell since she had no concept of the size of the place.

“I’ve got something that’s going to make you feel a little better,” Lexa whispered. She was fairly certain they were far enough from the gates that Klaus and Caroline couldn’t hear them, but she reasoned it was better to be safe than sorry.

“The father of one of my children is dead, and the other is for all intents and purposes dead,” Elena muttered, shaking her head. “What could you possibly have that’s going to make me feel better?”

“Hope?” Lexa tilted her head.

Hope; Elena sighed. She had hope but it was hard to focus on that after the road side run in. The starling had set her on edge and she half expected to see Esther rounding a corner ahead of them, prepared to strike them down before seeking out her remaining children. She wanted nothing more than for the spell to work so she could leave the cemetery with him. She wanted him alive and safe. She wanted Kol alive and safe.

All she wanted was for her family to be safe.

“You gave me hope when you translated the spell and told me it would work,” Elena turned with her around a mausoleum.

“Okay,” Lexa nodded, she slipped one hand into her bag and pulled out a long object; the metal glinted in the moonlight. “How about this?”

A slow smile took over her face when she saw what the blonde held.

* * *

 

He didn’t know how long he had been dead, not exactly. He knew Elena had not yet given birth; at least she hadn’t when he saw her last, but that still didn’t give him an accurate timeline of events.

Time moved differently on the Other Side. He had no method of knowing whether he had seen Elena hours, days, months, or years ago.

He liked to think it had only been days and that at any moment she would be calling him back; that at any moment he would be able to hold her in his arms and pretend, for an instant, that none of it had happened.

He turned his head towards the soft voice that drifted through the mist. It was her voice, he was certain of the fact, but whether or not it was another trick eluded him. Still he took the first step and heard the hollow crunch of frozen grass underfoot. He walked until the voice was practically beside him and would have kept on walking if not for the hand that closed around his elbow.

“Open your eyes,” she hissed.

He followed her instructions, forgetting for a moment that it was not her voice speaking to him; disregarding the hint of an accent on her tongue. The sight before him made his blood run cold.

He backed up, pulling her with him and stared up at the gate. The warmth receded the further he got until he was shivering from the cold once more and glaring at the black hole before him.

“That’s not her is it?” He tried not to let his dejection show in his voice.

“No,” V shook her head, “I don’t think the living would call the same way as the dead.”

And because he needs to think about something else, because he needs to talk about something to pass the never-ending stretch of eternity, because he needs to fill the lonely silence he asks the question.

“What’s really beyond the gate?”

“I already told you, sugar.” She crossed her arms. They were standing too close and it was raising the little hairs on the back of her neck. Could he see her through the flat black shrouding the worlds? Would he find a way to drag her in again?

“Hell,” he nodded, “but you never gave the particulars.” Elijah took a gentle hold of her elbow and eased her backwards until the fog shrouded the gate again. He saw her eyes still glued on the faint outline but the distance had the desired effect of getting her to relax even if it was only a slight sag to her shoulders. “Will you tell me?”

V rubbed her upper arms and stared. It was a bone chilling cold that never left so she was surprised when it lifted. Her eyes dropped to the black jacket he had draped over her shoulders; it did nothing to stave off the actual cold, there was nothing that would ever do that, but there was a quiet comfort in the weight that made her feel a little warmer.

“There are many dimensions for the afterlife. The one we’re in came later; I think it might even be one of the youngest ones; it’s only two thousand years old, at least… that’s what the whispers say.” V chewed her bottom lip.

The gesture tugged at Elijah’s heartstrings; it was the same one Elena made when she was putting serious thought into less than ideal news.

“That one’s old,” she nodded to the gate, “really old. It’s presided over by a man… He takes joy in suffering, tormenting those who have ‘sinned’ and it doesn’t matter how big or small the deed was. He corrupts those who are good and devours the souls of those who are not.”

“How can anyone devour a soul?” He frowned.

“By learning a person’s worst deeds, and if there are none to speak of he seeks out their name. The people that have created names for themselves are considered as good as gone when they set foot in his domain, but if he never had cause to learn the name he sought it out.”

“Is that the real reason you won’t tell me yours?” Elijah steered her away from the gate.

“I tell nobody,” she shook her head, “because once he knows your name…”

She trailed off, but Elijah didn’t need to hear the rest to understand her fear.

“Tell me about the spell,” he suggested.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew what he was doing, distracting her from her fear until they were far from the gate.

“I don’t know much,” she shook her head, “only that the living has to call back the dead: blood to blood.”

“Now does that work for the one person,” he glanced over his shoulder, “or for anyone who shares the blood.”

“I would assume anyone,” she turned to face him and shrugged one shoulder, “but why does that matter. Who else over here would share blood with your living relative?”

“What happens if you’re pulled back through the gate?” From the corner of his eyes he saw the world growing lighter.

“I’ll be tortured until I give him what he wants and then there will be nothing left of me, why?” She tilted her head.

“Because you’ve helped me V, and now I’d like to help you.”

He curled his fingers around her elbows and she felt a breeze, as warm as summer, ruffle her hair. There was a tugging sensation behind her naval that increased as the soft sound of a rising voice reached her ears.

There was an unearthly shriek from the direction she thought held the gate and she dug her nails into his arms as her heart pounded; she didn’t have time to think about how she hadn’t felt her heart beating once in her time there before they were bathed in white.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own TVD or TO
> 
> I also wrote a one-shot tonight that I need to type up. Look for it in the next few days tentatively called: Is it all just a game?

February 14, 20 Weeks

* * *

There were few things in the world he feared and if anyone had asked him five months ago – assuming that he had been in an honest mood – he would have told them there was only one thing that had the power to make his heart burst with fear: a silver dagger.

His fears had grown. Before there was only the one, but now it seemed he had a list and the dagger was not at the top: the loss of Elena and their unborn child, the loss of his niece, the imminent deaths of any and all with whom he shared blood really, and then there was the little witch that had at some point slipped past his walls: the beautiful, powerful woman whose smile drew him in like a moth to a flame.

He blamed Elena. She had made him care again.

A thousand years had robbed him of his ability to feel for another person, or anything at all, but one Petrova doppelganger had given him the most dangerous gift of all: hope. Now he cared so much he was certain people could see his bleeding heart.

He blamed Elena, but if she returned in one piece eventually he might thank her.

He was so consumed with the thoughts that raced through his mind that he didn't realize he was thinking at all until his eyes snapped open. The spackle on the ceiling greeted his vision and he sat up, snatching the bag of blood that had been placed on the nightstand. He was halfway through it when he saw the note.

_I'm sorry. I should have taken the dagger out the second he put it in but maybe I'm a coward. Don't take that to mean I'm afraid of Klaus. I could probably put him in his place if I had enough time to work out a plan (not permanently but for a few minutes, maybe weeks if I'm lucky)._

_I don't agree with your brother on a lot of things, or anything, and I definitely did not agree with his methods, but in this one instance he had a point._

_New Orleans is the best chance to make this work, and I know you know that, but you're not exactly seeing reason anymore. I get it. I do. You've got a lot on the line right now. I know you're scared for her and the children, but she is perfectly safe. The vampires were the ones that attacked and they can't get in the cemetery._

_She has a vampire, a witch and two Originals watching her back; hopefully by the time we leave there will be three, maybe even four. I don't know how long it's going to take you to wake up, but I'm confident you're gonna be on our heels the second you do._

_Weather has grounded all flights leaving the state, so we're driving. I'll make it easy for you._

_There's a small jewelry box in my bedroom: tiny and covered in the tackiest rhinestones you'll ever see. Inside is a set of keys that will open the garage around the back of the house and start the car inside._

_Assuming you haven't already raced off I'm gonna ask you to lock the door before you leave._

_See you soon,_

_Lexa_

* * *

"What are you doing?" Her voice just reached him over the rush of white noise. "You'll get stuck here."

"Just don't let go," he tightened his grip on her arms. He tugged her into his chest when she tried to pull away.

"You can't cling to anything in this place," she shouted, pounding her fists against his chest. "You'll get stuck."

That might have been enough to make him let go, but she had helped him.

* * *

His grip on the steering wheel was white knuckled and his foot was practically on the floor of the car. He was certain he was breaking every traffic law that he had never bothered to actually learn and was grateful he had yet to pass anyone patrolling the highways.

He could easily compel his way out of a ticket and any ensuing trouble, but he had no intention of wasting the time.

He didn't know how far ahead of him they were.

* * *

Lexa wiped a drop of blood from her upper lip, drew in shaking breaths and eyed the swirling magic. It was little more than a twisting mist over the center of the Triskele, but it wouldn't be long before it settled.

"Are you okay?" Elena raised a shaking hand to the blonde. Lexa had made it sound like the spell wouldn't be that taxing but she could see the strain in the lines of her face.

"I'm fine," she nodded, "it just took a little more power than I thought it would."

Elena stood on trembling legs and helped Lexa to stand so she could move the other girl to a low bench along the side of a mausoleum. She didn't realize she was crying until her fingers were being squeezed.

"It's gonna be okay," Lexa murmured, leaning her head against the stone wall, "it just takes time. The magic has to work it's… work it's magic."

Elena couldn't stop the hysterical laugh that bubbled in her throat and together they giggled until there was no breath left to expend on mirth.

"Do you think he's caught up yet?" Lexa fingered the edge of the dagger where it sat on top of her bag.

"When did you take it out?" Elena sobered. He was going to be pissed when he found them.

"About ten minutes before we left."

"Then he's definitely awake," Elena worried her bottom lip. "It took Elijah a few hours after several weeks, but he was only out for a few hours."

* * *

The French Quarter was much the same as it had been on his last visit. People spilled out into the streets from various parties wearing every shade of red and pink imaginable in honour of Valentine's Day.

He ignored them all and took the turn that led towards the Garden District, parking his car near the gates of the cemetery. For once it was deserted. Not many people found visiting a burial ground overly romantic. His presence would have been immediately noticed if not for the skirmish happening outside the gate.

He cursed and slammed his door shut. Reaching over his head he broke off a sturdy length of wood from a nearby tree and pulled his arm back to hurtle the branch like a spear; it hit it's mark a second later.

Jeremy spun on his heel when he heard the thump and eyed the vampire that had been seconds away from attacking him before looking in the direction the makeshift stake must have come. There was nothing there, but he felt fast rushes of wind followed by several quick thumps. By the time Rebekah had finished with the vampire that had been giving her a decent fight the rest of the group was dead, either missing hearts or laying with broken necks.

It was Rebekah who broke the tense silence.

"How did you get here?"

"It seems my little witch has a spine," Kol dropped a heart and bent to wipe his hand on the dead vampire's jacket. "She took the dagger out before leaving."

"Elena tried to take it out the second Klaus put it in," Jeremy rolled his neck, sore from the hand that had tightened around it.

"And Nik compelled her," Kol nodded. "What's your excuse sweet sister?" His lips twisted when he met Rebekah's eyes.

"You know exactly what it is," she crossed her arms. "If I crossed Nik there would have been a dagger with my name on it."

"So you just let him bring her here?" He gestured to the city, voice rising.

"She's safe," she gritted her teeth. "Vampires are incapable of entering the cemetery so that's where Lexa chose to perform the spell. There are only two entrances to the grounds, so we have them both covered. No one in town is going to lay a finger on Elena or  _your_ little witch because they'd never get through an Original."

A flush tinted his cheeks as he realized what he had said and how quickly Rebekah had caught the words.

* * *

Elena got to her feet when the magic finally stopped the slow swirl and approached on trembling legs. She held her breath, not quite believing her own eyes, and tiptoed closer.

He was unconscious, sprawled over the cobblestones. The first rays of dawn broke across the sky and painted his white shirt a pale purple.

Her eyes traced the plains of his face as she fell to her knees and lifted her hand so the tips of her fingers pressed against his jaw. The feather light touch made his eyelids flutter.

She swallowed as his nose wrinkled, in the way it always did before waking up, and exhaled. She wanted to pinch herself to know that she wasn't dreaming but she was afraid to lift her hand from his cheek, afraid that if she wasn't touching him he would disappear again.

But he didn't disappear, or burst into flames.

What happened was so much better.

His eyes slid open blinking against the light and focusing on her. The steady rise and fall of his chest ceased as he stared.

"Elijah," tears shimmered in her eyes.

"Elena."

She released a choked sob, half of it was a laugh, and then his arms were around her. His fingers were threaded into her hair. His chest was pressed to her cheek. He was all around her, holding her, massaging the back of her head, and murmuring against her hair: words of love and devotion that she never realized she needed to hear because she had always seen it in his eyes.

He was there and she was home.

"If you ever die on me again I will kill you!" She muttered against his chest and squeezed his waist.

He was too relieved to point out the flaw in her logic, too happy to have her in his arms. For the first time in he doesn't know how long he could feel more than the bone chilling cold. He could feel her warmth and every beat of her heart.

Over the top of Elena's head he caught a glimpse of Lexa, head tipped back against the mausoleum and mouth open; weariness was written over every inch of her body and he felt the beginning strains of guilt for what he had put her through.

The second he saw her worn down state a line appeared between his brows but before he could turn around to look Elena's voice penetrated the still air, high with confusion.

"Elijah," she propped her chin on his shoulder, "who is that?"

He shifted just enough to look over his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief because he hadn't put Lexa through unnecessary physical strain for nothing, because stretched out behind him was a slim body.

"It's a long story," he met Elena's eyes after being reassured that she was indeed breathing and not a lifeless corpse. "She saved my life on the Other Side, and I saw an opportunity to return the favour when I felt the spell."

He hadn't been able to leave her when he learned what would happen.

"Who is she?" Elena shifted back a few inches.

"I don't know," he cupped her cheeks, "all I know is that she is somehow related to you."

Elena blinked a few times and turned her attention to the woman they had inadvertently brought back. Her fingers were hesitant when they reached out and pulled the soft hair back revealing what the niggling feeling at the base of her skull had already told her.

"Elena," he tucked her hair behind her ear, "what are you thinking?"

"I'm hoping her attitude to family is different than Katherine's."

Her hand left her doppelganger to smooth down her shirt over the twisting twins. She grabbed his wrist and ignored the way his eyes narrowed when she pulled him away; they widened when she flattened his palm over her swollen stomach. The fluttering was faint but distinct.

He wanted to tell her there was nothing to worry about. V was different than Katherine; she had saved him twice from the horror that had tried to take him when she had no reason to help him. There had been nothing in it for her because what could a dead woman really hope to gain from aiding a complete stranger?

He wanted to tell her all of that but he couldn't speak around the lump in his throat that had formed when he felt the tiny kicks. He didn't know if it was his daughter or his nephew – children he might have never known if not for the message V had helped him get through – but one or maybe even both of them were turning somersaults in Elena's womb.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter days ago and then rewrote it tonight adding in several scenes, and a twist. Did anyone see it coming?
> 
> I know who V is, and I know what she knows: all of which will soon be revealed. But I'm torn on her name. At the beginning I didn't know if I was going to use her for later in the story, but now I am and need to pick a name to go with the letter.
> 
> Veronica, Vanellope, Vanya, Victoria, Vina, Vera, Violet, Violeta, Viola, Valencia, Valerie, Vivian, or Vienna.
> 
> Can you tell I just looked up V names?
> 
> Out of that list I like Vanya, Vanellope, or maybe Violetta.
> 
> There's something about doppelgangers that makes you want to end their names with an 'a'. It's practically tradition: Amara, Tatia, Katerina, Elena.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear what you think.


End file.
